U.S. Crackdown Drives 14,000 Venezuelans Into ‘Reverse Migration’ Via Dangerous Pacific Route

AP documents a growing “reverse migration” of Venezuelans abandoning U.S.-bound journeys after stricter enforcement, with more than 14,000 returning south since the crackdown began. Many are shifting to cheaper but riskier cargo-boat routes from Panama’s Pacific coast to Colombia, facing shipwrecks, dehydration, and exposure to armed groups and traffickers. UN-backed officials urge protections as humanitarian risks climb along the Panama–Colombia corridor and the Darién Gap.