Panama, Colombia Agree to Limit of 650 Migrants Per Day

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA - The governments of Panama and Colombia agreed Wednesday to impose a daily limit on the number of migrants passing through the thickly jungled and roadless Darien Gap on the two countries’ border.

The plan aims to limit crossings to 650 migrants per day in August and 500 in September. Migrants, mainly Cubans and Haitians, use jungle paths to travel from South America to Panama, in a bid to reach Mexico and then the U.S. border. Some people from Venezuela, Africa and Southern Asia also use the route. So far this year, Panama estimates more than 50,000 migrants have come through the dangerous Darien route, about double the number in 2018. Officials say about 16% of them are children or youths. The director of Panama’s immigration service, Samira Gozaine, said the agreement will bring improvements.