The Government of Panama has called to respect the Darien National Park, the jungle bordering Colombia, a route used today by thousands of irregular migrants in their transit to the United States.

Panama City.- In an official communiqué, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recalled that this territory has been a world heritage site since 1981, for which it must be provided with adequate protection, efficient management, and the preservation of its integrity.

In this sense, it urged to safeguard the flora and fauna species in the entire area, especially those in danger of extinction, protect the water resources, as well as contribute to the protection of the cultural and historical value of the area, contained in the native indigenous cultures that live in the park and its surroundings.

According to official statistics from the National Migration Service, so far in 2022, some 211,355 irregular migrants to the United States have passed through Panama.

The institution specified that last October alone, 59,773 people used the Darien jungle as a route, an unprecedented monthly indicator.

During the same period, 10,918 of the migrants were minors, a situation denounced by local authorities and organizations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).

According to Unicef, this year the number of unaccompanied and separated minors and adolescents has tripled, some 618 as of last September, higher than 205 for the whole of 2021.

The dangerous jungle on the border with Colombia has been used for decades as an irregular route by citizens from all over the world, who travel to the northern country in an illegal business involving organized crime gangs and amid natural hazards that put the lives of the travelers at risk. (PL)