VILLA CALETA PANAMA: Trump Administration’s Crackdown on Migration Ended their Main Industry
A woman stands at her home where she has the news on, showing U.S. President Donald Trump, in Villa Caleta, a community in Panama that used to benefit economically by being on the route migrants took after crossing the Darien Gap on their way north to the U.S., Monday, April 7, 2025.
VILLA CALETA, Panama: The Trump administration’s crackdown on migration has ended the massive flow of people heading north through a treacherous jungle on the Colombia-Panama border called the Darien Gap. Local residents who gave up their crops to make good money supporting the migrants say the business has disappeared. Some had transformed their lives by installing electricity in their homes or funding their children’s education. Now many are struggling. Some seek work in Panama City. Others have returned to farming or dream of panning for gold. And some hope the next U.S. administration will change its migration policies once again.
BEFORE – Migrants arrive to Lajas Blancas, Panama, after trekking across the Darien Gap from Colombia in hopes of reaching the U.S., Sept. 26, 2024
AFTER – The riverbank where migrants used to disembark in Lajas Blancas, Panama, after crossing the Darien Gap on their journey to the U.S, April 6, 2025
Migrants walk across the Darien Gap from Colombia to Panama in hopes of reaching the U.S., May 9, 2023
A stray dog rests on lifejackets at the home of a local in Villa Caleta, Panama
Villa Caleta, a community in Panama that used to benefit economically by being on the route migrants took after crossing the Darien Gap on their way north to the U.S., sits along the Tuquesa River, Monday, April 7, 2025.
Students attend class in Villa Caleta, a community in Panama that used to benefit economically by being on the route migrants took after crossing the Darien Gap on their way north to the U.S., Monday, April 7, 2025
Pedro Chami carves a gold-panning dish made of wood in Villa Caleta, a community in Panama that used to benefit economically by being on the route migrants took after crossing the Darien Gap on their way north to the U.S., Monday, April 7, 2025
Donaldo Quiros plants rice in his small field in Villa Caleta, a community in Panama that used to benefit economically by being on the route migrants took after crossing the Darien Gap on their way north to the U.S., Monday, April 7, 2025.
Children eat a snack during a break at school in Villa Caleta, a community in Panama that used to benefit economically by being on the route migrants took after crossing the Darien Gap on their way north to the U.S., Monday, April 7, 2025.
Youths hang out at a ball court in Villa Caleta, a community in Panama that used to benefit economically by being on the route migrants took after crossing the Darien Gap on their way north to the U.S., Monday, April 7, 2025.
A boat navigates the Tuquesa River near Villa Caleta, a community in Panama that used to benefit economically by being on the route migrants took after crossing the Darien Gap on their way north to the U.S., Monday, April 7, 2025.
Lifejackets hang at the home of a local in Villa Caleta, Panama, Monday, April 7, 2025. The jackets were once used to ferry migrants after their trek across the Darien Gap on their way north to the U.S.
