A group of refugees and migrants walks toward the town of Canaan, in the far south of Panama, after crossing the Darién Gap. Photo: ACNUR/Nicolo Filippo Rosso.
Guacamaya, February 23, 2025. Hundreds of Venezuelan and other Andean migrants are embarking on the journey back to South America, abandoning the “American dream” and opting for new opportunities in the southern part of the continent. This phenomenon, known as “reverse migration flow,” has begun to gain momentum, particularly among Venezuelans who, after months of failed attempts to settle in the United States, have decided to change course.
According to an AP report, hundreds of irregular travelers, including children, most of whom are Venezuelan and Colombian, were recently in a town near Puerto Cartí, in the Panamanian indigenous community of Guna Yala, ready to board a boat heading south.
Among these migrants, the report highlights Karla Castillo, 36, who was traveling with her younger sister and tried to secure a migration appointment through the CBP One app, enabled by the Biden administration but canceled in January by the Trump administration. “We never got an appointment (…) And with Trump’s arrival and the elimination of the app (CBP One), all our hopes vanished,” Castillo told AP.
The Maritime Route and Its Challenges
The return journey is not without dangers. Migrants must now traverse, in the opposite direction, the dangerous Darién jungle, a natural border between Panama and Colombia that has witnessed a massive exodus northward in recent years.
Just a week ago, a tragic incident in the waters off the Panamanian coast resulted in the death of an eight-year-old Venezuelan girl. This event highlights the lethal dangers still faced by those seeking to improve their lives by undertaking these journeys.
With the collapse of much of the migrant trafficking industry in the Darién, some traffickers are exploiting reverse migration, charging between $200 and $260 per person, including minors, for boat trips. They are offered accommodation on mattresses on the ground and the possibility of charging their mobile phones and eating before the transfer.
