AFP | 2023-10-09

PASO CANOAS, Costa Rica -- An increasing number of migrants, often suffering from symptoms like fever, vomiting, and diarrhea, arrive every day at Paso Canoas, the border between Costa Rica and Panama.

They have just crossed the challenging Darien jungle, enduring its hardships in their journey towards the United States.

Whole families trek on foot across the border into Panama, reaching the makeshift camp at an old airfield in Paso Canoas, situated 300km south of San José. They arrive physically drained from the grueling journey compounded by the intense heat and high humidity.

At this location, they board one of the 50 buses available, each ticket costing $30 per passenger, to head towards the Nicaraguan border.

Those without funds find themselves stuck in an area that, with the arrival of seasonal rains, transforms into a muddy terrain daily while they wait for a transfer to be arranged for them.

Aftermath of Darien

The Paso Canoas camp, a makeshift settlement established by the Costa Rican government in May, is a purgatory for migrants stranded after crossing the perilous Panamanian jungle.

"The most challenging part of my entire journey has been the Darien Gap jungle. It was incredibly tough; we faced hunger, toiled hard and witnessed things I never imagined I'd see in my life," shares 18-year-old Venezuelan, David Josué Díaz, with AFP.

Finding shelter under a metal roof or tent is considered a luxury. It's a respite from the scorching sun in the mornings and a refuge from the pouring rain in the afternoons.

Hunger and prevalent digestive and respiratory illnesses afflict many. A dedicated doctor from the NGO Cadena works tirelessly each day to provide medical assistance.

"My tummy hurts," seven-year-old Ángel, a Venezuelan boy, shares with AFP, hunched over on a piece of cardboard on the muddy ground. His mother, grappling with worry, waits for the medicines to take effect, similar to how they helped Samuel, who plays next to him with a doll while recovering from fever, vomiting and diarrhea.

Despite his continuous coughing, Ángel manages to find some strength to crack jokes about his journey.

In better conditions, some children play innocently on a swing, seemingly unaware of the dire circumstances surrounding them.

Venezuelan Esmeralda Cuica shared with AFP her experience in Paso Canoas, where she stayed for several days. "It is a very difficult place, a survival scenario of everyone against everyone," explains the 53-year-old preschool teacher.

Each morning, stranded migrants dismantle their tents and clear the area, making room for the new arrivals.

Those who have food cook using pots passed down by those who came before them.

In the town, adults endure long lines at the Western Union office, eagerly waiting for the much-needed funds to purchase tickets that will help them leave this place.

More than 400,000 migrants have entered Panama through Darien in 2023, a stark increase from 248,000 recorded for the entire previous year, as per official Panamanian data.

Days later, they arrive in Costa Rica in waves of around 3,000 migrants per day, as reported by the country's Migration Agency.

Approximately 320,110 migrants entered Costa Rica in 2023, with the vast majority being Venezuelans.

A "national emergency" is being declared in Costa Rica due to the overwhelming "number of people passing through our territory," stated a recent decree issued by the country's president, Rodrigo Chaves.

Legal pathway

In July, the US Department of Homeland Security launched a new program aiming to provide a legal pathway for certain Central Americans and Colombians to enter the United States, thereby deterring prospective migrants from embarking on a perilous journey to cross the US southern border through unauthorized means.

This initiative permits qualified migrants from Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to travel to the United States by air, and upon meeting specific criteria -- such as having relatives who are US citizens or legal residents with filed visa applications on their behalf -- obtain government work permits.

Authorities have leveraged their parole authority to admit a monthly quota of up to 30,000 individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela who have US sponsors.

Also implemented is a system to process tens of thousands of asylum seekers while they are in Mexico. This is facilitated through a government mobile phone app called CBP One, enabling individuals to secure appointments to enter the United States.