It has been a dramatic reversal. More than 302 people, according to the United Nations, made the attempt to travel northward from South America last year alone.
Immigration northward has slowed somewhat as President Donald Trump makes asylum all but impossible to obtain.
The main road that ran north from South America was the Darien Gap, a sliver of unprotected forest and steep terrain. On their way to the US, hundreds of thousands of people would battle the land bridge each year.
No longer, though. Only 2, 831 people made the dangerous trek between January and March of this year, according to the UN. In contrast to the same time period in 2024, that is a 98 percent drop.
In his efforts to get to the US, Yagua Parra traveled that distance on his own. The most deadly land migration route is the North to the US, according to the International Organization for Migration.
“The journey was difficult. There were numerous incidents, Yagua Parra said, with tattoos adorning his young features. There are “people there who are hungry.” It’s challenging. Strange things occur.
However, he found himself one of the thousands who couldn’t cross when he arrived at the southern US border.
President Trump removed the CBP One app, an online tool for scheduling asylum appointments, from his second term in January.
Anyone who entered the country without a document was also prohibited from applying for asylum.
The US’s increased military presence on the border, in turn, has decreased crossings even more.
Source: Aljazeera
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