Panama reports fewer than 100 irregular crossings through the Darién region in the first quarter of 2026.

Panama recorded only 92 irregular crossings through the Darién Gap between January and March 2026, compared to over 110,000 reported during the same period in 2024. EFE The flow of irregular migrants through the Darién jungle fell to historic lows in the first quarter of 2026, following more than a year of stricter immigration policies in the United States and operations implemented by Panama to block the main routes used to reach North America. Between January and March of this year, only 92 people crossed the border with Colombia, compared to 2,831 recorded during the same period in 2025 and 110,008 counted during the same period in 2024. Figures from the National Migration Service show the collapse of the migration flow that, for years, made the Darién one of the main irregular migration corridors in the continent. In March 2024 alone, 36,841 people entered Panama through that jungle border, while in March 2025 the number fell to 194 and in March 2026 it barely reached 39 migrants. The Darién ceased to function as the high-volume corridor it was during the most critical years of the migration crisis. The closure of trails, increased controls in Panama, and the greater difficulties in continuing to the United States changed the calculations of those who previously used this route to reach North America. Venezuela went from representing more than 209,000 irregular crossings in 2024 to 41 during the first quarter of 2026. EFE During 2024, Panama recorded the passage of 302,203 irregular migrants through the border with Colombia, the second-highest number in the entire migration crisis. In contrast, the total accumulated in 2025 fell dramatically to 3,091 people, while in the first three months of 2026, only 92 migrants were counted. Adding up the most critical years of the migration crisis, it is estimated that more than one million people crossed the Darién jungle in their attempt to reach the United States. Official data show that, despite the collapse of the migration flow, Venezuela remains the main nationality among those crossing through the Darién. In 2024, Venezuelans represented more than 209,000 crossings, followed by citizens of Colombia, Ecuador, China, Haiti, and India. For the first quarter of 2026, although the figures are minimal, Venezuela continues to lead the list with 41 irregular entries, followed by Ecuador, Ghana, and Colombia. Despite the reduction in the migration flow, Panamanian authorities maintain that networks linked to the illicit trafficking of migrants continue to be detected. One of the most recent cases occurred in the province of Chiriquí, where a man was sentenced to eight years in prison for the crime against humanity in the form of illicit trafficking of migrants, while a woman was detained pending trial for the same case. More than one million migrants crossed the Darién jungle during the most critical years of the regional migration crisis. EFE According to the Attorney General's Office, both individuals were apprehended on May 8, 2026, at the Guabalá checkpoint, after units of the National Police and officials of the Public Ministry detected five foreign citizens traveling irregularly inside a vehicle. Among them were three Ecuadorians and two Venezuelans who did not have valid permits to remain in Panamanian territory. During the preliminary hearing, the Regional Prosecutor's Office of Chiriquí presented evidence that allowed for the legal apprehension, the filing of charges, and the validation of a plea agreement after the driver admitted his criminal responsibility. In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed an additional penalty of four years of ineligibility to hold public office once the main sentence is served. The Guabalá checkpoint, in Chiriquí, allowed the detection of five irregular migrants being transported inside a vehicle. Source: PN. Panamanian authorities have stated that, although irregular transit through the Darién is at historic lows, the operation of structures dedicated to human trafficking persists, especially in alternative routes used to move migrants to Central America.