New Delhi:
The United States recently deported 104 Indian migrants, handcuffed and chained for a flight of almost 24 hours back to India. The deportation occurred after the repression of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, against illegal immigration, a topic that recently discussed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a phone call, AP reported.
The illegal trip to the United States often involves dangerous crosses through multiple countries, including Darien’s treacherous gap: a vast jungle that connects Colombia and Panama.
What is Darien’s gap?
The Darien gap is a stretch of dense tropical jungle, swamps and mountains of 97 km. It is the only break on the Pan -American Highway: a road system that extends from Alaska to Argentina. This impenetrable region has been avoided for a long time due to its extreme terrain, hard climate and lack of infrastructure. But for desperate migrants to reach the United States, it has become an inevitable entrance door.
Those who cross the steep mountains of Darien Gap facing, muddy swamps, rivers that move quickly and the dangerous wildlife. The jungle is the home of poisonous snakes, jaguars and mortal insects. However, the most significant threats are of criminal organizations that control the route. Smuggling networks, drug cartels and armed groups demand payments, steal migrants or submit them to violence.
The ‘Burro Route’ through Darien Gap
Many Indians trying to enter the United States illegally follow what is known as the ‘Burro Route’. This implies traveling to countries such as Central American nations such as Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala, where visas are easy to obtain. From there, they go to Mexico and then try to enter the United States, often with the help of coyotes (human smuggers) that charge thousands of dollars for the dangerous crossing.
This method has become increasingly popular as direct air routes to the US. The smuggers, the gangs of the Mafia and the organized crime unions take advantage of these migrants, promising a safe but often abandoning them in conditions that threaten life.
Migrants scale that cross Darien’s gap
In recent years, the number of people crossing Darien’s gap has shot. In 2023, more than 5.2 Lakh Migrants made the trip, more than double the figure of the previous year. By 2024, more than 3 Lakh had already crossed, although the numbers had decreased slightly due to the increase in application efforts, Reuters reported.
A decade ago, only a few thousand people tried this crossing annually. Today, it has become a high -risk migration road, with people from Venezuela, Haiti, Ecuador, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India making the dangerous trip. The trip can take between 7 and 15 days, with migrants facing food and water shortage, diseases and unbridled crimes. Many do not survive.
Humanitarian crisis in Darien’s gap
Darien’s gap remains a humanitarian disaster, with 312 deaths or migrant disappearances reported 2015-2022 and 229 plus between 2021 and 2023. Only in 2023, MSF (Medecins without borders, also known as doctors without edges) treated 676 victims of Sexual aggression, with 233 cases registered in early 2024. Super -pped shelters lack essential elements such as food, water and medical aid, leaving many migrants stranded. The erroneous information of social networks, often driven by smugglers, combines crosses.
With more migrants using this passage, the impact on local communities and the environment has also been devastating. Indigenous villages along the route are overwhelmed by people, while deforestation and pollution worsen in the fragile jungle ecosystem.
The region is also an important center for trafficking in persons and the activity of the poster. The Gulf of Colombia, one of the most powerful drug cartels, controls contraband operations. According to the reports, they won $ 57 million of migrant crosses in the first 10 months of 2023.
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