Panama, Costa Rica agree to a plan to speed migrants passing through from Darien Gap
Source: Associated Press
Panama, Costa Rica agree to a plan to speed migrants passing through from Darien Gap
Updated 1:43 PM EDT, October 11, 2023
PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama and Costa Rica announced a plan to quickly bus thousands of migrants through Panama to the Costa Rican border, as the countries continue to grapple with a steady increase in the number of migrants moving through the jungle-clad Darien Gap.
Panama estimates that 420,700 migrants have crossed the Gap from Colombia to Panama so far this year, making it likely the full-year number will top a half million.
Industrial-scale smuggling operations in Colombia have now reduced the dangerous crossing to a little over two days for the strongest walkers. The expedited bus service in Panama will likely decrease further the amount of time migrants take to reach the U.S. border, now down to about two and a half weeks.
Panama hopes the new plan will disrupt the smuggling networks that charge migrants to get through the country, as well as reduce crowding at reception camps in Panama where migrants stay once they exit the Darien Gap trail.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/panama-costa-rica-migrants-buses-ad80274e210b42f56cbda540f66fbf39