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The number of nationals from countries like Afghanistan, China and Iran coming through a key migrant crossing linking Panama and Colombia has increased dramatically in the last four years, according to a new report by a conservative group.
The report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) – which advocates for lower levels of immigration – looked at the increase in migration through the Darien Gap in the last four years since 2021, compared to 2010-2020. The report was first obtained by Digital.
Citing statistics from Panama, it found that the number of Afghans passing through increased from 98 between 2010-2020, to 8,294 between 2021 and 2024, a 8,363% increase. Meanwhile, Chinese nationals increased from 299 to 39,921. Iranian crossings increased from 14 to 935, and Syrians increased from 28 to 762.
US TO PAY FOR FLIGHTS TO HELP PANAMA REMOVE MIGRANTS WHO MAY BE HEADING NORTH
Haitian migrants rest as they cross the Darien Gap, near Acandi, Colombia, heading to Panama, on Sept. 26, 2021, on their way trying to reach the U.S. (Raul Arboleda/AFP via Getty Images)
Overall, numbers increased in the Darien Gap from 115,758 between 2010 and 2020 to 1.18 million in 2021-2024.
There have been widespread concerns about nationals from Afghanistan and China in the US. China is a geopolitical foe of the U.S., and Republicans have expressed concern about the potential for espionage or cyberattacks from CCP members who infiltrate the U.S.
“There have been numerous documented instances of Chinese nationals, at the direction of the CCP, engaging in espionage, stealing military and economic secrets,” lawmakers, led by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said last year.
Meanwhile, concerns about Afghan nationals were highlighted when authorities foiled an Election Day terror plot being planned by an Afghan national who was paroled into the U.S. as part of the evacuation after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
The report blames the crisis that has hit Panama on “open border policies” in the U.S. that “encourage migrants from all over the world to undertake a long, costly, and dangerous journey to reach the ‘El Dorado’ that is the United States.”
“Migrants know that if they can somehow get to the porous borders of the U.S., they will likely be released into the country,” it argues.
DARIEN JUNGLE, A TREACHEROUS ROUTE FOR MIGRANTS, BECOMES MORE ACCESSIBLE AS PANAMA SEES UPTICK IN ARRIVALS
Migrants, mostly Venezuelans, cross a river during their journey through the Darien Gap, hoping to eventually reach the U.S., Oct. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Overall, it finds that between 2021-2024, at least 760,000 nationals from “special interest” countries were encountered in the Gap – including nationals with links to Hezbollah and other terror groups. The report, citing data from Panama, found that over half of all those who crossed were adult men.
The top nationalities in 2024 to cross were Venezuelans, Colombians, Ecuadorians, Chinese and Haitians.
Numbers rocketed in the area from just over 6,000 in 2020 to more than 520,000 in 2023, and have since decreased to 286,000 in 2024. Panama elected a new president in May who campaigned on ending illegal migration through the area, and has since signed an accord with the U.S. Under that deal, the U.S. government would cover the costs of repatriations of those who entered through the Darien Gap.
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The agreement said the U.S. would support Panama with equipment, transportation and logistics to send migrants caught illegally entering Panama back to their countries. Meanwhile, there has been a sharp drop in migrant encounters at the U.S. border this year, including a more than 55% decrease in encounters after President Biden signed a proclamation in June limiting asylum in the U.S.
President-elect Trump, meanwhile, has promised to provide additional border security and to launch a large-scale deportation operation after he is inaugurated.
FAIR says in its report that Panama, even with U.S. assistance, won’t be able to fully rectify the situation at the Darien Gap.
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“A permanent solution to the Darién Gap crisis can only come from where the crisis originated, i.e., when American immigration policy stops inducing illegal aliens to make this dangerous trek,” it says.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
