Clandestine camp for illegal migrants located in Panama’s Darien jungle

Units of the National Border Service of Panama found this Saturday a camp in the middle of the Darien jungle, the natural border between Colombia and Panama, where food and services were being sold “illegally” to irregular migrants who cross this dangerous jungle on their journey to North America.

The discovery of the “clandestine camp”, with more than 55 huts and located on the banks of a river in a community in the Emberá aboriginal region in Darién, occurred within the scope of the “Arcángel Miguel” operation in which some 150 agents of the National Border Service (Senafront) participated.

The site, which is off the regular route taken by migrants once they cross the border, was equipped for camping and eating, and had boats, power plants, refrigerators and sophisticated internet technology, according to EFE’s observations during a tour of the area.

Operation in Darien

In the operation, carried out with the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of the Environment, “seven Starlink satellite antennas were seized, technology that was allegedly used to facilitate illicit activities in the region,” said a statement from Senafront.

The police agency said that this camp was created as a “product of the exploitation of illegal circular economies that profit from the suffering and desperation of migrants who are guided by coyotes to this point from the Caribbean coasts.”

He adds that in these places there is a proliferation of “related criminal activities such as prostitution, drug dealing and extortion, promoted and linked to criminal groups such as the Clan del Golfo.”

Migrants cross a camp during an operation this Saturday in the middle of the Darien jungle, which is the natural border between Colombia and Panama

Irregular migration through the border jungle is controlled by the Colombian criminal group known as the Clan del Golfo, according to authorities in Colombia and Panama.

Illegal economy

“This type of activity is a replica of what the Clan del Golfo does in Colombia. In these camps, the illegal economy lends itself to them setting the prices, the activities, what the migrants are going to do, when they move and when they don’t; that’s what we see here and that’s why we’re here,” Jorge Gobea, director of the National Border Service (Senafront), told EFE today.

Gobea recalled that approximately a month ago, 30 more of these “improvised camps” were located in another indigenous area of ​​Darién, which “were destroyed at that time.”

One of the locals in the area defended the commercial activity they are engaged in, and stated that the information provided by Senafront is “exaggerated” regarding the alleged exploitation of migrants.

Migrants in danger

Migrants entering the jungle face assaults and rapes as well as the rigors of the environment, such as wild animals and swollen rivers.

Upon arrival in the province of Panama, migrants receive care at immigration stations where they are given health care and food, and their biometric data is taken, which allows the authorities to keep statistics on crossings and detect criminals, as they themselves have pointed out.

Photograph showing a camp in the middle of an operation this Saturday in the middle of the Darien jungle, a natural border between Colombia and Panama

The Panamanian government has taken the measure of fencing off trails in the jungle to try to channel the migratory flow and has launched a joint plan between Panama and the United States to repatriate those who cross the jungle.

More than 230,000 people have crossed the Darien in 2024

Today, Senafront reminded the migrant population that “the only humanitarian corridor authorized to enter Darién is the one that connects Cañas Blancas with Bajo Chiquito.”

The “clandestine camp” discovered this Saturday is located between the Tacartí and Membrillo rivers, in the area known as Dos Bocas, outside the humanitarian route.

According to data from the Ministry of Public Security of Panama, between January and August 2023, 324,204 people crossed the Darien jungle, and in the same period this year, 236,621 did so, “which represents a decrease of more than 85,000 citizens, this is equivalent to a variation of 27 percent.”

“These are people that we have not had to go rescue or provide assistance to, which is the responsibility of the State, and we are the only ones who do it here” in the region, Gobea stressed.

Panama / EFE