The reversal has been stark. Last year alone, more than 302,200 people attempted to travel northwards from South America, according to the United Nations.
However, as President Donald Trump makes asylum all but impossible to obtain in the US, migration northwards has slowed to a trickle.
The Darien Gap — a sliver of untamed forest and steep terrain — used to be the main artery connecting South America to the north. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people would struggle to cross the land bridge on their way to the US.
But not any more. The United Nations notes that, between January and March of this year, only 2,831 people made the dangerous trek. That marks a 98-percent drop compared with the same period in 2024.
Yagua Parra made that journey himself, in his efforts to reach the US. The International Organization for Migration has called the path north to the US the world’s deadliest land route for migration.
“The road was tough. Many things happened — kidnappings, everything,” Yagua Parra said, tattoos freckling his young features. “People are hungry there. It’s hard. Ugly things happen.”
When he reached the southern US border, though, he found himself one of the thousands unable to cross.
Upon taking office for a second term in January, President Trump cancelled the CBP One app, the online portal used to schedule asylum appointments.
Anyone who crossed the border without documents was also barred from claiming asylum protections.
Meanwhile, the US increased the military presence on the border, further driving down crossings.
The Trump administration touted those measures as contributing to “historic lows” for border apprehensions. But the migrants unable to cross found themselves stuck in Mexico, stranded in a border region beset by trafficking and exploitation.
Leave a comment