Paths of Desperate Hope

A group of Afghan, Chinese, Venezuelan, and Ecuadorian migrants wade toward a boat headed for the Darién Gap, in Capurganá, Colombia. Many of the Afghans had never seen the ocean before. 

A final base camp before entering the Darién Gap, in Las Tecas, Colombia. A record 520,000 migrants crossed through the Darién jungle in 2023. 

Yineska Andreina Colina (18) sits with her two daughters, Enyerlis Sofia Colina (2) and Eduanyerlis Saray Colina (9 months). By the time they got to Capurganá, Yineska had run out of money and had no idea how she would pay her way through the jungle. Capurganá, Colombia.

Thousands of migrants wade into the Rio Muerto (“Death River”) at the Darién Gap, where several have drowned in its treacherous waters. They assist one another to prevent drowning in the swift currents. Rio Muerto, Colombia.

Sarah Cuauro, (6) was separated from her mother during their trek through the jungle. Ángel Garcia, (42) took care of her for several days as they climbed through the mud to Banderas Hill, a crossing point in the Darién Gap. They had no idea where Sarah's mother was or whether she was injured.

Yhoana Sierra screams after falling on a muddy slope. Pregnant at the time, she woke up bleeding the following morning, likely having lost her baby.

Highway-like paths are appearing in the middle of the jungle as hundreds of people walk through every day. Despite measures implemented by the US government in collaboration with several Central and South American countries, more than one million people have crossed the Darién in the last four years attempting to reach the United States.

A migrant carries a backpack from a food delivery service operating in several Latin American countries as he traverses the jungle with his belongings inside.

Over several days, Gabriel Ynfante (center, red shorts) held the hand of 6-year-old Francheska Lopez as they trekked through the jungle. Although she was not his daughter, he supported her through the journey, singing "Bartolito," a traditional children's song, to keep her entertained.

Luis Miguel Arias (28) takes a break with his daughter Melissa (4) as they climb a hill. They are from Venezuela and joined the over 250,000 migrants who traversed the gap in 2022.

A dead man with his hands and neck tied together lies on the path inside a tent. At least 55 people have died and 180 children abandoned in the Darién in 2024 alone, although estimates of the actual number of deaths are believed to be much higher.

Beryomar Alexander Lopez and his family are covered in mud as they navigate the Darién Gap.

Flags from South American countries at the top of the “Hill of Death.” Government oversight is largely absent from the Darién region, which is primarily controlled by a criminal organization known as the Clan del Golfo. Members of this group treat migrants similarly to how they treat contraband like drugs: as commodities to be taxed and manipulated for profit.

Migrants arrive at Las Banderas (“The Flags”), a spot on the border between Colombia and Panama.

Jheymmi Jhennifer Bastidas Tapia tends to wounds on the feet of Hamleisy Ortega, whose blisters got infected after several days of walking in mud and water. Darién Gap, Panama.
 

Hamlet Ortega breaks down in exhaustion beside the Tacartí River, in Panama, on his journey through the gap. What little food he had for the journey he saved for his three daughters. After the death of his wife in Venezuela from breast cancer, Hamlet migrated to Peru with his young daughters. There, he could only find work collecting garbage. One day, his daughters said they had seen the Darién on social media and convinced him to take that route to migrate once more.

Jonathan Franco crosses a deep river with four-year-old Keyner de Jesús. Franco was nicknamed "Rambo." His physical strength allowed him to help other families by carrying their children during the most challenging sections of the journey through the Darién Gap. 

A 13-year-old Chinese girl vomits on the ground as her father tries to comfort her. Along with the Chinese, a diverse wave of migrants – Cubans, Haitians, Ecuadorians, and Peruvians – are also crossing in significant numbers, while Afghans – many escaping the Taliban – are one of the fastest-growing groups.

Several groups of migrants cross the Tuquesa River. Juan Carlos Taborda (47, center) carries his three-year-old grandson, also named Juan Carlos Taborda, during the final stretch of their trek through the jungle. They are at Come Gallina, the last migrant camp in the jungle before reaching the Indigenous community of Bajo Chiquito in Panamá.

Rubén Guaynora, a local indigenous man, carries Kimberly Rodriguez, a Venezuelan who fainted several times while crossing the Darién Gap. He will help her onto a canoe that will transport her to Bajo Chiquito, where she may receive medical attention. Darién Gap, Panama.

A member of the Panama National Border Service instructs a group of Haitian migrants who have just arrived in Quiebra Venado, the first indigenous community on the Panama side of the Darién Gap, after days of crossing the jungle. Darién Gap, Panama.

Sebastian Colmenares (8) is moved to tears as he listens to a speech by an indigenous leader in the El Abuelo community, a town that many migrants find after crossing the Darién Gap. Behind him, his older brother Juan Colmenares (10) and their mother, Enlgymar Galinde, are also weeping, overwhelmed by a mix of emotions after emerging from the jungle.

Hundreds of migrants stand in line to board small wooden boats that will take them from Bajo Chiquito to the Migrant Reception Station in Lajas Blancas. Each migrant is required to pay $20 USD to the indigenous community for their spot on the boat. Darién Gap, Panama.
 

Assault, robbery, and rape have long been a grim risk of migrant journeys around the globe. But aid groups working in the Darién Gap have reported an alarming increase in the number of attacks. In January and February of 2024, Doctors Without Borders recorded 328 reports of sexual violence, compared with 676 in all of 2023. Many of these attacks are organized and cruel: perpetrators beat victims and take food, even baby formula, leaving people battered and starving in the forest.

The economic devastation caused by the pandemic in South America was so severe that, according to Panamanian officials, an estimated 130,000 migrants attempted the journey through Panama in 2021, the majority of whom were Haitian. Cémaco, Panamá.

She fled poverty in Venezuela, where she worked in a bakery. Masked men surrounded her group in the jungle, she said, and separated the men from the women. Then the perpetrators "touched us," she said, "they groped us, they dragged us by the hair, they stole what we had.”

Migrants stand in line outside an office in Mexico City, seeking a refugee card that will enable them to use public transportation for their journey north. This card is essential for them to travel within Mexico as they make their way to the border with the United States. Mexico City, Mexico.

Mozhgan, an Afghan migrant, expressed her feelings while waiting in Mexico City with her family to continue their journey to the United States: “The men can go out,” she said, referring to life under the Taliban. “What about us? We don’t have life.” Mexico City, Mexico.

Ali, Taiba, and their son, from Afghanistan, are on a three-day bus trip, the last leg of their journey from Mexico City to Tijuana, where they will cross the border into the United States. Tepic, Mexico.

Migrants jump a border fence to enter the United States. In 2023, over 2.3 million people were apprehended at the southern border of the United States, where they face an uncertain future. Tijuana, Mexico.

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