PUERTO CARTÍ, Panama — Once journeying through the dangerous terrain of the Darien Gap, migrants — primarily from Colombia and Venezuela — are now retreating from their quest for asylum in the United States. This change in direction has been prompted by the stringent immigration policies implemented during Donald Trump’s presidency.
On a recent Sunday, a speedboat navigated the riverways shrouded in jungle near the Colombia-Panama border, carrying around 20 migrants who sought refuge from the splashing waters while clinging to their belongings. Many of these individuals had spent months or even more than a year in Mexico, awaiting an appointment to claim asylum in the U.S. via the CBP One application, a process that has since ended under Trump’s administration.
“Once Trump came into office and put an end to the application process, all our dreams disappeared,” reflected Karla Castillo, a 36-year-old Venezuelan on the boat with her younger sister. Authorities have reported a marked shift in migration patterns, known as a “reverse flow,” where boats packed with returning migrants transit from a remote part of Panama, skip between islands, and ultimately make their way back to northern Colombia.
Once a lucrative venture for human smugglers — who benefited from a constant influx of people heading north — this boat route, which traverses Indigenous Guna Yala territories, is now being exploited to serve the needs of those seeking to return. Many smugglers have raised their prices for the return journeys, charging between $200 and $250 per person, including children. Payments often shift through money-transfer applications like Zelle, forcing migrants to scrape together the last of their funds after previous attempts to reach the U.S.
Karla Castillo experienced a swirl of emotions as she journeyed backward. She was once part of the mass migration flowing from crisis-ridden Venezuela, first seeking refuge in neighboring Andean nations such as Chile, Peru, and Ecuador, then aiming for the U.S. territory. After living for five years in Chile, where a tightening immigration framework pushed her to risk the perilous trek through the Darien Gap, she eventually reached southern Mexico.
In early February, faced with the stark realization that their opportunity for seeking U.S. asylum had been lost, she and her sister opted to return home. Longing for her four children and her mother — who had arranged financial help for her journey back through a raffle — Castillo waited for her boat amidst a group of fellow migrants, all with shared dreams and dashed hopes. “The music is supposed to lift our spirits, but nothing can erase our sadness,” she noted.
While the exact number of people utilizing the boat route daily remains unknown, recent weeks have seen large groups, predominantly from Venezuela and Colombia, assemble in the area governed by Indigenous laws, where they are provided temporary lodging and passage to sea. Similar patterns have been mirrored by neighboring Costa Rica, reporting 50 to 75 individuals crossing their border toward the south each day — a stark contrast to the thousands that once journeyed northward just a year prior.
Some migrants preparing to return to Colombia expressed unwillingness to set foot back in Venezuela, especially after recent elections that sparked concerns of democratic decay and increased violence. They would rather confront the same economic hardships and legal challenges faced in countries like Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, which have long urged the international community for additional support in dealing with the migrant situation. “There’s no way I’ll go back to Venezuela. Many of us choose to go elsewhere, just as we did before,” stated Celia Alcala as she awaited her transport.
However, the boat rides present their own risks. The lack of significant police oversight at checkpoints raises questions regarding the safety measures that Panamanian authorities claim boat captains must adhere to. A tragic incident on Friday highlighted these dangers — a vessel capsized while transporting 21 individuals off Panama’s coast after ignoring warnings of severe conditions, resulting in the loss of an 8-year-old Venezuelan child.
This loss has intensified the anxiety for many awaiting their boats, including Juan Luis Guedez, who was returning with his wife and daughter from southern Mexico. After leaving Chile, where he spent eight years after fleeing Venezuela, Guedez had been hoping to secure an appointment for asylum in the U.S. “I can’t predict if we’ll arrive safely, but if we do, we aim to return to Chile. That’s where my daughter was born,” he expressed.
