United Nations fears 400,000 migrants may cross Darien Gap in 2023

Migrants, mostly Venezuelans, cross a river during their journey through the Darien Gap from Colombia into Panama. Photo / AP

Two United Nations groups say the number of migrants crossing the dangerous Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama could soar to as many as 400,000 this year.

That would represent a huge increase from the 250,000 estimated to have crossed the roadless, jungle-clad route last year.

The UN agencies for refugees and migration said in a report that nearly 100,000 people may have already made the crossing so far this year, six times more than in a similar period last year.

If that trend continues, it could mean many more migrants seeking to reach the United States through Central America and Mexico.

Haitian migrants wade through a river as they cross the Darien Gap. Photo / AP

The groups called it “an unprecedented movement [of people] through the Americas”.

The US pledged its forces would assist their Colombian and Panamanian counterparts with intelligence gathering to dismantle smuggling rings operating in the Darien Gap, which is a key route for migrants heading to the US from South America, a senior Biden administration official said.

The area is among the most dangerous sections of the long route to the US. Migrants and international human rights groups have denounced sexual assaults, robberies and killings in the remote jungle. That’s in addition to the natural dangers posed by venomous snakes and rushing rivers.

US forces could assist in targeting smugglers for arrest and locating “stash houses” where smugglers hold migrants, the official said, without specifying whether the US forces involved would be military or civilian law enforcement.

Migrants, mostly Venezuelans, walk across the Darien Gap hoping to reach the US. Photo / AP

The US, Panama and Colombia have announced an ambitious 60-day campaign to shut down the Darien Gap route.

The official said the 60-day period had not started yet and was still under consideration, but the effort was part of a broader campaign to prepare for the end of pandemic-era restrictions on applying for asylum at the US border, which are set to expire on May 11.

The same obstacles that make the Darien Gap a treacherous crossing for migrants will make it impossible for authorities to cut off completely. It is about 100 kilometres of jungle with no roads.