The return: A new face of migration in Latin America

For years, the dense jungle strip of Darién has been synonymous with passage. An extreme transit route heading north. In 2025, however, that logic has begun to break down. For the first time, many migrants are returning from the north, driven back by immigration policies and the difficulties of a path paved with machetes and dreams.

According to data from Panama’s National Border Service (Senafront), the migratory flow through the Darién Gap fell by 98% in March 2025. But this decline does not imply an improvement. Many migrants, especially Venezuelans, are returning from Panama, Costa Rica, or Mexico, driven by the tightening of immigration policies, the lack of opportunities, and demoralization.

The humanitarian response in the region is supported by the European Union (EU) through the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). Thanks to this funding, HIAS and Médecins du Monde have been able to sustain their activities in key territories such as Capurganá, Necoclí, Medellín, Cali, and the border with Venezuela.

From Brussels, the EU has reiterated its commitment to this crisis. “In recent years, increased migration has deepened crises in several Latin American countries. In 2024, thousands of people left their homes in search of safety, many of them in urgent need of assistance. Together with its partners, EU Aid responded to their needs, maintaining the risks faced by people on the move as a key humanitarian priority,” said Nicolas Govaerts, Head of Humanitarian Aid for Central America.

The HIAS organization works with EU support in the Central American region. “It’s a reality that the population is returning,” says Camilo Ramirez, HIAS director in Colombia. “And it’s also a reality that there are extremely high levels of frustration, demoralization, and anxiety among those who return.” For its part, Médecins du Monde has highlighted that many of the migrants report having experienced torture, sexual violence, and persecution in Mexico, “with a profound impact on their physical and emotional health,” the organization states.

These aren’t massive flows, but rather groups of between 70 and 100 people per day. Many arrive without resources, having sold everything on the way there. “The return trip is a journey of loss. The little they had earned, they are using to return,” says Ramirez, who also explains that in Capurganá, a small tourist destination in northwestern Colombia, some merchants are pressuring the migrants to continue their journey as soon as possible. From there, they depart for Turbo or Necoclí, where organizations such as HIAS and Médecins du Monde provide health care and protection, as well as support for access to food and transportation.

New profiles, new needs

Most of the returnees come from Mexico, facing uncertainty due to the lack of processing of appointments through the CBP One application to legally enter the United States. Very few have managed to cross the border. Ramirez emphasizes that “today, the return is primarily driven by families and couples. We no longer see as many single men as we did on the outward journey. We see fathers, mothers, grandmothers, children. And many couples who were reunited after failing to arrive [at their destination].”

In cities like Medellín, a mandatory transit point for any journey south, HIAS has recorded three types of returning migrants: those who want to return temporarily to Venezuela, those seeking to stay in Colombia, and those who continue on to other South American countries such as Ecuador, Peru, Chile, or Brazil.

In all cases, the challenges are enormous. “The needs in health, mental health, food, and transportation are staggering,” warns the HIAS director in the region. The support of Médecins du Monde is essential here. “In this intervention, Médecins du Monde is working to guarantee the right to health of people on the move across the Darién Gap in Colombia and Panama,” said Irene Manterola, general coordinator of Médecins du Monde in Colombia. “We provide direct health care, including sexual and reproductive health and MHPSS (Mental Health and Psychosocial Support); we advocate for rights and raise awareness against xenophobia and discrimination. In particular, we work with women, children, and LGBTQ+ people in this high-risk area. As a health organization, our mission is to save lives and meet the needs of the most vulnerable.”

Likewise, “people in transit are deeply emotionally affected, with signs of anxiety disorder and generalized depression due to the frustration of returning and the conditions of migratory transit,” says Jesús Chacón, a nurse at Médecins du Monde. “They arrive with first-degree sunburns and lower back pain and myalgia associated with long boat trips, due to sun exposure and vibrations, sustained posture, and physical effort,” adds Sandra Castaño, medical supervisor at Médecins du Monde.

But these organizations haven’t had it easy in recent months. “Our programs have been drastically reduced due to cuts in humanitarian assistance. We’ve closed offices and cut staff. We’ve lost 65% of our team. We continue to operate thanks to funding from the European Union, some European governments, and the United Nations, but we’re juggling,” explains Ramirez.

Furthermore, the lack of humanitarian infrastructure in Darién exacerbates the risks. “The Panamanian government’s care centers, such as Lajas Blancas and San Vicente, were dismantled. There is no humanitarian support in the jungle. And crossing it, in any direction, without assistance is an enormous risk,” warns Ramirez. “The jungle is speaking another language,” he summarizes. “It is no longer just a place of passage, but also of return. And that completely changes the dynamics of care and protection.” In 2024, the consortium’s programs provided more than 2,300 mental health services, offered sexual and reproductive health services in more than 60 community outreach events, and treated more than 200 cases of gender-based violence.

An ongoing regional crisis

In parallel to their fieldwork, HIAS and Médecins du Monde have produced the photography exhibition Invisible Journeys, by French photographer Nadège Mazars, which will be presented at the European Humanitarian Forum in Brussels on May 19 and 20. The exhibition highlights the migration situation, focusing on the protection and health of women, children, and extracontinental migrants arriving from other countries in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Mazars, who has collaborated with media outlets such as The Washington Post, Le Monde, The Guardian, and The New York Times, traveled for two weeks with the humanitarian field team to learn firsthand about the needs of displaced people and refugees.

“I’ve been covering migration in Latin America for 10 years, and I believe the strength of this exhibition is that it highlights the important role of humanitarian aid at a time when migration continues. Migration is a human characteristic, and today, empathizing with and assisting migrants must be an essential part of our humanity,” Mazars said.

There are people who are still in transit and others who need support to rebuild their lives where they have decided to stay. We cannot leave them abandoned”

Camilo Ramirez, HIAS director in Colombia

Ramirez concludes with a plea to society and governments: “The needs remain. There are people who are still in transit and others who need support to rebuild their lives where they have decided to stay. We cannot leave them abandoned.”

The return isn’t the end of the story, but rather another part of the journey. One that still isn’t being told enough.