(Bloomberg) -- The number of migrants trekking toward the US through the dangerous Darien jungle route fell to a two-year low after President Joe Biden and Panama’s new government imposed tighter controls.
Some 16,603 migrants crossed into Central America from Colombia in August, according to Panama’s migration institute, down 80% from the same month in 2023.
Most of the people taking this route plan to cross Central America and Mexico to get to the US southern border. Immigration is among the top concerns for voters in this year’s election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
In June, Biden issued an executive order limiting asylum claims. Then, in July, Panama’s new President Jose Raul Mulino took office and closed six of the seven border crossings from Colombia and increased patrols.
Border closures by Venezuela after its disputed presidential election may also have reduced the flow. Of the migrants through the Darien last month, 71% were Venezuelans, followed by Colombians, Vietnamese, Ecuadoreans, Indians and Haitians.
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