Darien Gap 2021: A Haitian Exodus

Tens of thousands of migrants are passing through the shores of the small coastal city on the Caribbean coast of Columbia. Most are originally from Haiti but made their home in South America after the 2010 earthquake. They began migrating north after the pandemic took a nosedive. The economy of South America. They are here waiting. for a boat ticket across the bay in hopes of eventually reaching the United States in early September, nearly 15,000 of those immigrants, mostly from Haiti, arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border in del rio, texas, with haiti's shattered economy and violent crime on the rise, returning home was not an option as the world watched in horror as they set up camp in a makeshift camp on the rio grande, all they have proven is an inability to address this crisis candidly in a way where they pretend it doesn't even exist and that we are here to tell you it exists, most were deported to Haiti or voluntarily returned to Mexico to avoid being forced to return to Haiti, thousands miles south in that small Colombian coastal town.

Patrick Charles and his friends kept in touch with their fellow Haitians along the route I need to go car Patrick is among the more than 20,000 people who have been stuck in this city where immigrants now outnumber Residents Officials are allowing approximately 500 people a day to cross the bay and continue the journey north His wife and daughter and seven other family members and had been members in Brazil until the pandemic wreaked havoc on the South American economy decided to continue north. the north today every corner here signs of the dangerous journey that awaits them jose is from venezuela here in neko sells to

haitian

s and other migrants any supplies they may need to cross the intimidating jungle with a machete the darian gap is a treacherous 66 mile gap On the Pan-American Highway the terrain is so difficult that it is the only part of the 19,000-mile highway connecting North and South America that has not been completed.

More than 91,000 people have crossed the Darien Gap this year, most of them Haitians. according to Panamanian officials and one in five are children, the UN said triple the number I have crossed in the last five years combined yet the majority say moving forward is the best option my dream is the beautiful gym okay, They were able to board the boat and cross the bay when they reached the town of Akandi this was the last government presence they would see from that moment on they would have to negotiate with the human traffickers operating here to continue onward abroad in 2017.

CBSN originals followed a group of migrants on the same journey following their story across the Darian Gap and into the deadly search for a new life, so I'm going to draw the border here, you know? Well, this is Colombia and this is Panama, Panama, so we're basically following the river up and then the Rio Muerto, that doesn't sound right, yeah, and we get to this place at the end of the first day. Okay, what can we expect? look, tomorrow we will be in a thick jungle, okay, it's 8,000 miles from home. He came to a safe house here in Colombia after spending time in Venezuela, where he learned Spanish in the morning.

Shahab will embark on a journey following in the footsteps of many thousands before him. Why are you crossing the Darien Gap? Do you know how dangerous the Darien Gap is? Yes, you know, but I already have the ball, oh my God, they are leaving. I need life, I need more life, this is just another routine trip. for smugglers who guide shahab for a few hundred dollars guide the immigrants entrusted to them through this notoriously difficult no man's land immigrants can get here with relative ease due to the lack of immigration policies in certain South American countries they cross illegally from the south to Central America through the Darien Gap and onwards towards the US.

Other options such as taking a boat or plane increase the risk of capture and immediate deportation for those who want to reach America first have to survive in the jungle we have to stay close to the rivers there is a guide on the other side there is at least a week of walking if nothing goes wrong we head west towards mountainous terrain through a dense tropical forest another danger here is the violent paramilitary groups that control the drug smuggling corridor that runs parallel to migrants' roots deep in the jungle Over the years we had heard whispers of countless lives lost in the Darian canopy.

Migrants up to 70 years old and as young as babies swallowed by the jungle. One of the most surprising things is how worn these trails are. Yes, I thought we were going to We make our way through the bushes, we are told that these heavy, uncomfortable boots will protect our legs from poisonous snakes and water, but it is impossible to keep our feet dry, we are only a few kilometers away and our Wet feet blister with every step. so many other immigrants passing through darian's gap he has a pair of sneakers a pair of clothes all the possessions he has right now in his little duffel bag he is so ill prepared for this what do you want to do when you get to the us if you get there to the United States you have friends you miss my girlfriend you know my girlfriend in Venezuela you want to see her here no no here you can't show us a foreigner warn about a steep climb ahead we are weighed down by our team safety equipment and food at this point every gram matters this is a luxury we can't afford to take with us we're just going to have to rely on the river hello adam and andres what country india india wow an encounter like this a group of migrants bumping into each other is becoming more frequent.

This is a main passage that migrants go through at the beginning of the route, so you, uh, plane from India to Colombia, this group is a group of about eight people from Sri Lanka and India six thousand miles away. away and have come here specifically because they want to enter the Nepalese foreign country of the USA. The most difficult stage of the trip is about to begin a 1000 foot ascent in a very short amount of time with about 50 pounds of gear on my back, you know? period, you can't help but feel like a complete apple here we are carrying our high-tech equipment these guys have their entire lives on their backs just arrived at the top of the mountain that is essentially the demarcation line between panama and colombia a vienna in colombia , this is a moment of triumph and euphoria for many of these guys.

In this place and on this side, no proper work and no shoulder is a pain. We're trying to learn more about the lives of immigrants and what brought them here, but. almost like a survival element, everyone shuts down, maybe too exhausted or too scared to share their stories, they are on a mission, to survive in the jungle, nothing else seems to matter, so one of the things that makes the dairy gap So dangerous for migrants, apart from the untamed nature is the rain, this is one of the wettest places in the world and basically stops everyone in the camp for a while.

Absolutely stunning, as terrifying and fearsome as mother nature can be, it is absolutely amazing, it becomes difficult to tell apart. between hours and soon, even the days merge, it is an agonizingly repetitive cycle of eating, walking, crossing rivers, setting up camp, stopping only when we are too hot, too humid or too hungry. No, I've seen you fight every day and we still have a long way to go it's worth it it's my this is another stopping point along the journey the amount of trash here is absolutely incredible cans of food cans of tuna cans of sardines energy drinks water bottles clothes although the hardest thing is to see the children's clothes as people get more and more fatigued every gram of clothes on their backs weighs them down and people just start taking off their clothes here and you can see the desperation in the journey just looking at the trail left behind foreigner foreigner here much where are you going you are, you did it, you are, you are passing through the dairy gap alone, one man, you have, you have food, no food, no food, no and where are you from, no food, no medicine, just water, no butter, finish, you're still smiling How are you still smiling?

Why do you keep smiling? You look happy you're happy you're happy this is crazy I'm going okay okay so one of the questions I've asked everyone is why are you doing this this seems crazy who the hell who wants to come to the middle of the jungle and everything the world has told me you know this is not something you can understand you have a home you have a country you have money you have belongings you have family these people have nothing this is a journey they have to take despite everything the mother nature is throwing at them.

I am lucky enough not to be able to understand that finally, after a week together, Shahab opens up about his reasons for leaving Iran, claiming that his problem began after he converted from Islam to Christianity and that he was arrested in a church and tortured in prison, so we, but my dream is that we were ready to leave the camp and we saw another group of immigrants. This is the big one, probably about 20 guys, let's go. Did they all get together, all together? Where do you want to go? Where they are? Eritrea. Where do you want to go?

This gentleman has taken, like so many others, just a harrowing journey that began in South Sudan, traveled through Uganda, Rwanda, then arrived in Brazil and flew to Peru, arrived in Ecuador, where he says he was assaulted and robbed, arrived in Colombia and now here it is, in the bold breach, two months later. So they are willing to take this long route of values ​​and that gives you an idea of ​​the drive, the determination and the desperation that people face when trying to get to a better place, suddenly they are less burdened by their suitcases and their fears that the As migrants feel energized by their numbers, they are eager to overcome one last obstacle.

Oh, this is probably the best morning shampoo I've ever tried. We wait with Shahab for another guide. We're almost there for the first one. outpost of civilization I didn't keep waiting for this but right now I have more more more two hours I'm going to go to the police and I don't know what happened, what are you going to tell the police? I refuse and Iran. I have no life I have no security I need a new life new life so we finally reach a point where the rivers are navigable so the last leg of the trip out of Darien involves getting on a boat that heads to the first small town where immigration awaits you then , what is your plan if Panama accepts you after the money for other countries how much money do you have now do you think God can help you through this yes call me I hope to hear from you at your new restaurant and I will go to your restaurant yes, take care see you later, okay, see you in a few months yeah, like that, like that, hey, thanks for watching the cbsn originals on youtube.

You want to see more documentaries. Download the free cbs news app on your phone, smart tablet. tv or any streaming device you can also subscribe to our youtube channel by clicking below thanks for watching