Panama Detects Increase in Asian Migrants Crossing the Darien

Panama has detected an increase in Asian migrants, mainly Chinese, crossing the inhospitable Darien jungle on their way to the United States, President José Raúl Mulino said on Thursday.

“We have seen a decrease in the total flow of migrants through Darien, but citizens from Nepal and China have appeared in greater numbers in the recent arrivals,” Mulino said during his weekly press conference.

He announced that his government is seeking to reach an agreement with Beijing to repatriate Chinese who arrive through Darien, the jungle on the border with Colombia, which has become a corridor for migrants from South America trying to reach the United States.

The number of Chinese migrants crossing the jungle rose from 296 in the period 2010-2019 to more than 12,000 so far in 2024, according to official Panamanian figures.