Costa Rica and Panama are working together to speed up the movement of southbound migrants along the same route that previously carried hundreds of thousands north. The two countries have been adjusting to the new situation since the U.S. closed its border to asylum seekers in January after President Donald Trump took office.
Officials from both countries met at Peñas Blancas, a border post between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, to coordinate transportation for migrants heading south. These migrants, mainly from Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador, will be taken by bus from the Nicaraguan border to Panama, where they will continue their journey toward Colombia.
Costa Rican Security Minister Mario Zamora explained that organizing transportation would help protect migrants from human traffickers. His Panamanian counterpart, Frank Abrego, added that the goal is to make transit through both countries more regulated.
Small groups of migrants have already begun crossing into Costa Rica, passing immigration checks before boarding buses. Some migrants have also traveled by boat from Panama to the Colombian border, avoiding the dangerous Darien Gap.
Venezuelan migrant Bárbara Somayor, buying her bus ticket at the border, said she wished air travel was an option. “Boats are risky for both adults and children,” she said. “But we have no choice but to take the risk.”
Meanwhile, Costa Rica and Panama have also agreed to receive hundreds of migrants deported from the U.S., many from Asian countries. Some have chosen to return to their home countries, while others remain detained in Panama’s Darien province, where they face difficult conditions.
On Saturday, lawyers filed a petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, seeking better protections for these migrants, who say they lack information and legal support.