A total of 88 irregular migrants have requested refuge in Panama since 2021 in the framework of the migration crisis, evidenced by hundreds of thousands of people arriving in the country on their way to North America after crossing the dangerous Darién jungle, the natural border with Colombia.

The National Office for the Attention of Refugees said Thursday that of the irregular migrants who have arrived in the Central American country through the jungle, in "2021 only 56 people requested refuge in Panama and so far in 2022 they have only presented 32 requests".

Currently, Panama has 2,582 recognized refugees, said a statement released by the Ministry of Government.

Panama is the gateway to Central America from the south and so far this year a record number of more than 206,000 irregular migrants, 80% of them Venezuelans, have passed through the country on their way to the United States, according to figures revealed on Tuesday by the Panamanian president, Laurentino Cortizo.