Barely the first foot on the rocky shore, Jhon kisses his 6-month-old daughter, nestled in his arms. The young man takes one last look out into the brackish water of the Chuchunaque River before heading towards the Panamanian border police who are watching the arrival of the canoes. “I’m so relieved to have made it this farexclaimed the Venezuelan, still equipped with his life jacket. I didn’t think it would be that hard. »
A jungle as big as Belgium
Jhon, his wife and daughter have just finished one of the most difficult stages of the long journey that will take them to the United States: Darien. Almost the size of Belgium, this border region of Colombia is covered in thick, mountainous jungle and is the only missing part of the famous Pan-American Highway.
The dangers that characterize it do not prevent candidates for exile from passing through. By the end of August, 240,000 migrants had already crossed the forest. Last year there were more than 520,000, a record.
Overlooking the river, the Lajas Blancas migration reception station is the second Panamanian stop on one of the main “routes” crossing the Darien. Emerging from the jungle, the migrants first arrive in Bajo Chiquito, an indigenous community of about 300 souls.
“We stayed there for a day while the authorities checked our papers and the doctors checked if the little girl was okay”says Maria, a 17-year-old Colombian woman who left the city of Cucuta on September 16 with Kevin, her partner, and Maria José, their 9-month-old daughter. The little family spent two days in the jungle before heading down the river towards Lajas Blancas. On September 26, about forty canoes landed.
Family migration
Sitting on the steps of a humanitarian hut that runs along the main path of the camp, Maria remembers the blue bags that mark the path, her feet covered in mud and the fear that followed her every time she had to cross a stream. “We met no one”assures the teenager, relieved that nothing happened to them.
José, an electromechanic, was not so lucky: the 50-year-old Venezuelan says he was robbed by a group of natives: “One of them threatened us with his machete. » Since the beginning of the year, 34 people have died on the Darien road, according to Panamanian authorities.
On arrival at Lajas Bancas, the migrants again present their documents to the Panamanian authorities. NGOs provide families with a tent and provide access to care, among other basic services. The Panamanian government provides three meals a day. Conditions are still uncertain: “The water is polluted, and yesterday the fish was for dinner from the day beforecomplains Leidy, mother of two. The youngest has not eaten, the food gives her diarrhoea. »
In the dusty alleyways of the station, the many different languages spoken there give the appearance of a migrating Babel. All continents are represented, but the most numerous remain the Venezuelans, although the re-election of Nicolas Maduro and the wave of migration it could cause has yet to be felt.
Families are large and children under the age of 18 make up around 20% of migrants. “They are the most vulnerablecomments Sandie Blanchet, Director of Unicef in Panama. We even see young girls as young as 16 with a baby in their arms. » Teenagers like Maria, who admits she wouldn’t have brought her baby if she’d known “it would be so hard “. “Often parents don’t have the means or have no one to leave their children with”adds Sandie Blanchet.
“If Trump passes, he won’t let us in”
This year, however, the number of visits has fallen. In addition to geopolitical factors, “closure of illegal roadsexplains the decline“, assures Alexis de Gracia, soldier in charge of monitoring the border. In July, Panamanian authorities closed several crossing points and diverted the flow to the renamed Lajas Blancas route. “humanitarian corridor” by the authorities.
These measures responded to the announcement of the new president José Raul Mulino, who, barely elected, promised to “close Darien”. Marilou Sarrut, PhD student in social geography, offers a different analysis: “Last year, changes in immigration policy in the United States caused these increases. This year, we are returning to a more regular flow. »
But the prospect of the US presidential election is also pushing people onto the road. “We would arrive before the election. If Trump goes through, he won’t let us in.”thinks Kevin, who is stuck in Lajas Blancas due to not having the necessary money to continue his trip. In the US, the issue of migration weighs heavily in the campaign. Donald Trump regularly accuses Kamala Harris of wanting to orchestrate one “invasion”while on September 27, Kamala Harris appeared at the Border Patrol in Arizona.
The Biden administration is also putting pressure on its Central American neighbors to try to limit crossings and thus reduce arrivals at its border. One of these strategies is to “expand your limit” against Panama, explains Marilou Sarrut. Trained and equipped by American big brother, Senafront, the Panamanian Border Police, “depends heavily on US funding”. The US is also pushing governments in the region, sometimes divided, to agree on the issue. Since July, they have even funded the Panamanian state to deport migrants wanted by the courts.
These measures do not scare Leidy, who has decided to get back on the road. “Trump or Kamala Harris, it doesn’t matter. I just want to be able to work and give my daughters a better life”insists the mother. More than 3,500 kilometers still separate them from the US border. By the time they get there, the White House will have already found its new tenant.
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Immigration, a major issue in the US presidential election
US authorities arrested 58,038 migrants at the US-Mexico border in August, the latest official data available.
According to the Pew Research Center, a research center in Washington, this is a 77% decrease compared to the peak in December 2023 (almost 250,000).
Despite this decline, immigration remains a major issue in the United States: For nearly 90% of Americans, improving border control must be a priority. A survey by the Pew Research Center recently found that 58% of voters were in favor of the mass deportations proposed by Donald Trump.
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