U.S. to Help Panama Block Migration Through Darién Gap

The U.S. and Panama have reached a deal aiming to “close the passage of illegal migrants” through the Darién Gap. 

The Details: Panama’s new president, José Raúl Mulino, has vowed to close the Darién Gap to people traveling north to the U.S. Under the agreement, the U.S. will support “equipment, transportation and logistics” related to dealing with foreigners who break Panamanian immigration law, including covering “the cost of the repatriation of immigrants who enter illegally through Darién.”

For Context: Per the Council on Foreign Relations (Left bias), the Darién Gap is “the only overland path connecting Central and South America” — a “remote, roadless crossing on the border between Colombia and Panama” that “consists of more than sixty miles of dense rain forest, steep mountains, and vast swamps.” According to the Missing Migrant Project, there were 141 known deaths in the gap in 2023, when more than 500,000 made the crossing. 

How the Media Covered It: Some coverage displayed language that reflected diverging partisan attitudes about the flow of migration to the U.S. from Central and South America. For instance, the New York Post (Lean Right bias) said the U.S. was “forking out cash” to help Panama deal with the “migrant superhighway.” While some on the right discussed “illegal migrants” and “Illegal Immigration,” some on the left discussed “migrants who cross the Darién Gap.” The U.S.-funded Voice of America (Center bias) used the phrase “irregular migration,” which some U.S. and international governmental organization have also used.