The border between Panama and Costa Rica is porous, almost non-existent, a relief for migrants on their way to the United States who, however, They already carry the weight of trauma on their backs from the recent trip through the Darien jungle, with rapes, robberies and death.

In some areas of the international town of Paso Canoas it is difficult to distinguish if one is in Panama or Costa Rica. Without passport control or barriers, the migrants arrive on buses to the Panamanian side and after walking a few meters they can board another vehicle that will take them north to Nicaragua. But the ease of passage does not seem to relax anyone, who after a few weeks of traveling on their way to the United States have already been mistreated over and over again, victims of mafias, restrictive government policies, or thugs.

In this attempt to hinder the advance of migrants, there is no barrier like the Darien jungle, that natural border between Colombia and Panama. “That experience in the Darien is horrible. There they steal, kill, kidnap, rape. I am a rape victim. I don’t wish that on anyone,” a 50-year-old Colombian woman explained excitedly, sitting at the bus station on the Costa Rican side.

“In the group of 50 people who went with me, four were raped: a 14 year old girl was raped, one about 22, the other about 38 and me. (The attackers) told us that in five minutes we had to climb a hill, there on the hill they asked for the money, cell phones (…) So after having stolen the money and everything, they separated the four of us from the group,” making descend to the rest, details.

In the first four months of this year alone, more than 127,000 migrants heading to the US arrived in Panama after crossing the jungle, a number six times higher than the same period in 2022, which closed with the record number of more than 248,000 people in transit.

It is also expected that the attempt to reach US soil will increase as of this Thursday, when Title 42 ceases to be in forcea regulation implemented under the mandate of Donald Trump (2017-2021) and that allowed hot deportations under the pretext of the pandemic.

Roberth Barquero, human movement manager for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on the Costa Rican side of Paso Canoas, explained that between 1,000 and 1,500 migrants are crossing daily from Panama, which means “an increase much higher than last year.” extra. They got down.