Panamanian authorities said Saturday that the “historical record” of 248,000 irregular migrants who crossed the Darién, jungle that divides Panama and Colombia, is expected to be exceeded this July since some 230,000 people have been counted in transit so far this year.

“We have been arriving for more than a week with more than a thousand people a day. Last year ended with 248,000 migrants arriving in Panama, a historical record. This year we are going to pass that historical record this July because we already have some 230,000 people,” said the Panamanian Security Minister, Juan Manuel Pino.

The authorities have reiterated on other occasions that this year 400,000 migrants are expected to cross the dangerous jungle.

Last year a record number of some 248,000 migrants crossed, a number that exceeded 133,726 people in transit in 2021, 6,465 in 2020, and 22,102 in 2019.

So far this year, 230,000 migrants have crossed the Darién, an unprecedented figure that multiplies by four the 49,452 who crossed this border in the same period of 2022, according to official figures updated  Saturday by the minister.

More than 40,000 migrant children have crossed the jungle this year, among them there are some who get lost or are found next to their mother's body, according to figures and testimonies collected by the Panamanian authorities.

Weather conditions and the presence of armed groups increase insecurity in the Darién, where migrants can be assaulted or raped.

Panama receives irregular travelers heading to North America at immigration stations located near its southern border with Colombia and on the northern border with Costa Rica, where it offers them healthcare and food, in a unique operation on the continent that involves a dozen international organizations.

COYOTES CAPTURED
From April 1 to July 19 433 people have been captured for different crimes, of which 23 were “coyotes” for human trafficking, 239 for having a case pending with the Panamanian justice, 26 for drug trafficking, 66 for micro-trafficking, 43 for possession of firearms, 18 for "biometric alert", 8 for smuggling, 2 for illicit possession of money and 8 for illegal mining, according to official statistics.

Under "Operation Shield", the Panamanian security forces have seized 1,852 drug packages in the Darién.