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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Megan Janetsky and Matas Delacroix

Migration once fueled an economic boom in the Darien Gap. Now that lifeline is gone

Panama Migration Boom and Bust - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The face of U.S. President Donald Trump flashes on the flat-screen TV that Luis Olea bought with the money he earned ferrying migrants through the remote Panamanian jungle during an unprecedented crush of migration.

The Darien Gap, a stretch of nearly impenetrable rain forest along the border with Colombia, was transformed into a migratory highway in recent years as more than 1.2 million people from around the world traveled north toward the United States.

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