Panama National Border Service Closed 6 of 7 Darien Crossings

Security Minister Frank Ábrego reported that the country currently has 6 of 7 border crossings identified with Colombia closed. These paths have been blocked with barbed wire fences and are guarded by patrols of the National Border Service (Senafront).  Ábrego added on his X account that a reduction of between 6,000 and 7,000 people who have crossed the dangerous Darién jungle has been observed.  Since July 11, restrictive measures have been reinforced for the passage of irregular migrants through the Darien Trocha. Serpentine fences have been installed at several points on the border between Panama and Colombia, and patrols have been intensified in the waters of the Pacific and the Panamanian Caribbean.  The migration and humanitarian crisis in this region has persisted for more than a decade and has worsened year after year. This has led the Panamanian government to take drastic measures to stop the flow of people.  Between one and two thousand people arrive in Panama every day from countries such as Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, Colombia and other nations, after having crossed the Darien jungle, risking their lives.  Data from the National Migration Service indicate that from January to July 10, 208,308 people entered Panama from the inhospitable jungle. The agency detailed that in these first days of the current month, after the agreement with the United States was signed, 7,245 entries were registered.