VILLA CALETA, Panama (AP) Luis Olea, a resident of Villa Caleta, invested his earnings from ferrying migrants through the treacherous Darien Gap, a dense rainforest between Colombia and Panama, into improving his family’s living conditions. The Darien Gap transformed into a crucial migratory route in recent years, with over 1.2 million people from various countries making the perilous journey northward toward the United States. Migrants brought financial growth to previously isolated regions by paying for essential services, including boat rides, meals, and clothing.
The influx of migrants allowed Olea and his neighbors to abandon traditional agriculture, particularly plantain and rice farming, in favor of the more lucrative business of transporting migrants along the river. Olea used his earnings to install electricity in his home, invest in his children’s education, and enhance his living environment with solar panels and a television. He recalls a time when he could earn up to $300 a day as a lanchero, a boat pilot, compared to the $150 a month previously earned from farming.
However, things took a drastic turn when Donald Trump assumed the presidency in January 2017 and implemented policies that severely restricted access to asylum in the U.S. The heart of Olea’s new economic reality collapsed, and migration through the Darien Gap came to a near halt. The community, which previously thrived on this booming economy, struggled to adapt to the sudden loss of income. “Before, we lived off of the migration,” Olea lamented. “But now that’s all gone.”
As migration surged, especially in 2021, people fleeing economic struggles, violence, and oppressive governments began navigating the perilous trail. Experts noted that while criminal organizations profited from controlling the smuggling routes, the migrant influx brought vital cash flow into underdeveloped areas, representing a once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity for many, as stated by Manuel Orozco from the Inter-American Dialogue.
Olea, like others in the Comarca Indigenous territory, used to make a living from cultivating crops near Villa Caleta. However, when the demand for migrant transport surged, they invested in boats and built a sustainable economy around the northward flow of migrants. The cooperation among communities showcased a community-driven approach to sharing this burgeoning economic opportunity.
With the decline of migration, many locals quickly fell back into financial hardship. Cholino de Gracia, a community leader, highlighted how some residents are struggling to find food due to the lack of income and supermarket access in their isolated region. Olea has resumed planting crops, but it will take months to yield any significant harvest. He faces the challenge of an unsellable boat, reflecting the community’s economic collapse.
Former boat pilot Pedro Chami also abandoned farming to carve wooden items in an attempt to support himself. He expressed frustration over his previous earnings of $200 daily compared to his current struggles with food insecurity. At the height of migration, between 2,500 and 3,000 people crossed the Darien Gap daily; today, that figure has plummeted to around 10 per week, leading to a reverse migration of many Venezuelans heading back home.
Lajas Blancas, a key port for migrants, has transformed from a bustling marketplace into a ghost town as the migration process dwindled. Vendors like Zobeida Concepción have seen their livelihoods evaporate as the migration economy collapsed. Where once they sold essentials to migrants, they are now contemplating their next moves, with some heading to Panama City in search of alternative employment options.
Concepción shared how her family once thrived during the migrant influx, even building a house and purchasing appliances for their family. Faced with uncertainty, she remains hopeful about the future, suggesting that her family’s savings may provide the means to adapt when migration increases again due to political changes in the U.S.
