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According to the International Organization for Migration, most people who take the dangerous jungle route of Panama to reach North America are Haitians.
More than 91,300 migrants-most of them Haitians-have hiked through the dangerous zone of Panama Darien Gorge The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday that Jungle hopes to reach North America so far this year.
The International Organization for Migration cited statistics from the Panamanian immigration authorities as saying that between January and September this year, 56,600 Haitian immigrants passed through the Darien Canyon, which is one of the most dangerous routes in Latin America. Many people bring children.
According to IOM, the total for the nine months of this year is three times the record set for the whole of 2016, when 30,000 immigrants chose this route.
“Due to the border closures and economic contraction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, irregular immigration has increased,” Santiago Paz, head of the Panamanian delegation of the International Organization for Migration, said in a statement. statement About the numbers.
Paz said: “Caribbean and extraregional migrants are crossing the border under extremely fragile conditions and are at risk along their migration routes, especially when crossing the Darien Gorge on the border between Panama and Colombia.”
The announcement comes as the United States maintains an almost complete closure of those seeking asylum at the country’s borders, while Mexico and Other countries In Central America Blocked person Attempting to pass through their territory on the way to the United States.
Darien Gap is located on the border between Panama and Colombia. It covers an area of 575,000 hectares (1.42 million acres) and is controlled by armed groups. Smugglers usually guide small groups through this route, but many people were robbed, beaten or raped along the way, and dozens of people were killed this year alone.
Panama said this week More than 50 immigrants died So far, when crossing the jungle pass in 2021. But officials say this number is almost certainly lower than the actual death toll of those who embarked on the journey.
In recent years, an average of 20 to 30 bodies have been found each year, but observers say that this year’s death toll reflects a surge in immigration.
Experts say that many deaths are caused by natural causes, such as a heart attack or a fall. Drowning and snake bites are also common. But others were attacked and killed by armed groups.
The Darien Gap route has received new scrutiny in recent weeks. 15,000 peopleMost of them are Haitians who set up camp under a bridge in southern Texas last month, hoping to apply for asylum in the United States.
Sometimes smugglers with weapons usually guide small groups through Darien Gorge [Fernando Vergara/AP Photo]Many people left Haiti a few years ago and have been living in Brazil or Chile. After crossing the Darien Canyon northward, they took food to the US-Mexico border.
The Biden administration has Widely criticized Thousands of Haitian asylum seekers have been deported to Haiti, which is facing deadly gang violence, political instability and the aftermath of the recent earthquake.
Giuseppe Loprete, head of the Haitian delegation of the International Organization for Migration, Said On Friday, the United States has so far sent more than 7,500 people back to Haiti.
Thursday, rights groups Petition And the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights call on international agencies to ask the U.S. to stop using Public Health Directive Immediately expel most asylum-seekers who have reached the border.
Former U.S. Special Envoy to Haiti, Resign Regarding the treatment of Haitian asylum seekers by the Biden government, Tell U.S. legislators This week, deportation will make the crisis in the Caribbean countries worse.
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