Migration to US through Darién Gap plummets 99% while Trump cracks down on illegal immigration
Migrants attempting to reach the United States through the dangerous jungles of the Darién Gap have dropped by 99%, a dramatic decline that the White House celebrated in praise of the Trump administration's immigration policies.
According to Migración Panama, an immigration and naturalization service in Panama, only 408 migrants crossed the Darién Gap from Colombia into Panama in February, the lowest since November 2020, when 365 traveled the path during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 408 total is down from the more than 37,000 reported last February and 24,000 in February 2023.
In January, 2,229 migrants crossed the Darién Gap into Panama from Colombia. For the year 2023, Migración Panama recorded a total of 520,085 instances of irregular traffic through the Darién Gap. In 2024, the Panama agency recorded a total of 302,203 instances of irregular transit through the region.
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned the drop in Darién Gap traffic in a press release.
"America is roaring back," the press secretary stated.
The Darién Gap is a 60-mile-long roadless jungle on the border between Colombia and Panama, and those who journey through it are typically migrants looking to reach the United States. Traveling through the Darién Gap is considered dangerous, not only because of the wildlife and harsh terrain but the presence of criminal gangs that expose migrants to violence and sexual assault.
As Bloomberg reported Monday, the decline in traffic through the Darién Gap follows Panama President José Raúl Mulino's administration closing several of the jungle's paths and increasing security patrols in September.
There has also been a sharp decrease in traffic at the U.S. southern border in recent months. During the first full month of Trump's second presidency, monthly border encounters between law enforcement and migrants reached the lowest point in three years, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
In February 2025, 11,709 encounters occurred between illegal immigrants seeking entry into the country and immigration law enforcement officials. There were 61,465 encounters in January and 96,035 encounters recorded in December 2024, the last full month of the Biden administration.
President Trump has vowed to crack down on immigration and improve border security, which includes increasing deportations of illegal immigrants.
Senior officials with the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told reporters on a press call Wednesday that ICE has arrested more than 32,000 illegal migrants in the U.S. within the first 50 days of Trump's second term.
"I want to be clear that the ICE arrests in the first 50 days of President Trump's administration are outpacing those that were under the Biden administration," Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said during the call, according to The Washington Examiner. "As of yesterday, ICE arrests have surpassed all of last year's at-large criminal arrests. Doubling ICE arrests is just the start."
The 32,000 arrested since Jan. 20 included 14,111 convicted criminals, according to Lyons. Another 9,980 had pending criminal charges, 1,155 were suspected gang members and another 8,718 had other immigration violations. The acting ICE director said the 8,718 "violated U.S. immigration law, which is also a crime."
"We ended catch [and] release, and we have returned ICE to its core mission, which is arresting people who violate our immigration law," Lyons said. "Secretary Noem and I are changing the culture of ICE to one of action and accountability."
The ICE official said the agency expects arrests and removal numbers to increase throughout the current presidential administration.
Earlier this week, CBP and the DHS announced a new feature through the CBP Home App that allows illegal migrants or aliens whose parole has been revoked to inform the U.S. government about their intent to depart the country.
The application's self-deportation function is part of a $200 million nationwide and international ad campaign urging illegal immigrants to leave the U.S. or face deportation, according to a Monday statement from the DHS.
"The Biden Administration exploited the CBP One app to allow more than 1 million aliens to illegally enter the United States," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated. "With the launching of the CBP Home app, we are restoring integrity to our immigration system."
"The CBP Home app gives aliens the option to leave now and self-deport, so they may still have the opportunity to return legally in the future and live the American dream," she added. "If they don't, we will find them, we will deport them, and they will never return."
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
