Panama, Costa Rica agree to a plan to speed migrants passing through from Darien Gap

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama and Costa Rica are facing a huge increase in the number of migrants moving through the jungle-clad Darien Gap. So the two countries have announced a plan to quickly bus thousands of migrants through Panama to the Costa Rican border. Panama estimates that 420,700 migrants have crossed the Darien Gap from Colombia to Panama so far this year, making it likely the full-year number will top a half million. Industrial-scale smuggling operations in Colombia have now reduced the dangerous crossing to as little as two days. The expedited bus service in Panama will likely decrease further the amount of time migrants take to reach the U.S. border.