That “reverse migration” discussed here in May, whereby migrants are self-deporting or turning back before reaching the US, has been documented in a report released Friday by the governments of Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica. Produced with the aid of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, the report says that northward migration through the three countries has dropped 97 percent since President Trump took office. It goes on to detail how around 14,000 migrants — most of them Venezuelans — having concluded that they could no longer legally enter the US, have turned around and headed back south. Interviewed by representatives of the three countries, about half of the migrants said they planned to return to Venezuela. About half of the remainder identified Colombia as their new destination, while the rest were uncertain.
Since 2017, about eight million Venezuelans have fled their country, opting initially for other South American nations, such as Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Chile. That changed in 2021 when the incoming Biden administration announced an essentially open southern border, causing millions to make the northward trek. Now, under Trump, the “reverse flow” has begun. In the words of the Associated Press, it “marks a radical reversal in one of the biggest mass migrations in the world.”
The way back presents as many challenges as their original treks. Those in Mexico take buses south until they reach central Panama. From there, they book passage to Colombia on precarious, over-crowded boats. The boats take one of two possible routes. Most of the migrants “island hop” through the Caribbean, eventually landing in the town of Necocli, Colombia. Others, only about 450 so far, take a much riskier route in the Pacific, hugging the coast, until they are dropped off in various Colombian towns or the Colombian city of Buenaventura. That area of Colombia is said to be one of the most violent regions of Colombia and is ruled by warring gangs.
For more, see the Associated Press.