Migrants who once risked their lives traversing the jungles of the Darien Gap in search of asylum in the US are now returning to their home countries.
After former President Donald Trump‘s crackdown on asylum policies, many migrants, primarily from Venezuela and Colombia, have abandoned their attempts to reach the US.
According to authorities, this has resulted in a “reverse flow” of migrants.
Speedboats are now transporting them from Panama back to Colombia, navigating the dense jungle rivers near the border.
Many had previously spent months, even over a year, in Mexico, awaiting asylum appointments through the CBP One app, which has since been discontinued under Trump’s policies.
Karla Castillo, a 36-year-old Venezuelan traveling with her younger sister, said: “When Trump arrived and eliminated the application (CBP One) all our hopes went up in smoke.”
The boats depart from a rural part of Panama and cross the seas in packs to reach Colombia.
They were part of a well-oiled migrant smuggling machine, which once raked in money from the steady flow of hundreds of thousands of people headed north nearly a year ago.
Hellbound and Down 