The number of migrants crossing from South to North America through what had been a highly-trafficked corridor on Panama’s southern border drastically dropped in February to its lowest level since COVID lockdowns, suggesting a potential result of President Donald Trump’s tightened immigration policies.

The Darién Gap traverses the border between Panama and Colombia and more generally between North and South America. No roads connect the continents through the Gap, and any immigrants trying to cross into the U.S. by land starting in South American nations, such as Venezuela or Colombia, must make the arduous trek across its the jungle terrain.

February data from Panama’s immigration authority show that only 408 people crossed the Darien Gap in the first full month of President Trump’s administration. The largest group of those immigrants, 151, hailed from Venezuela, home of the violent Tren de Aragua gang, recently declared a terrorist organization by Trump.

Since the start of 2020, 1,213,400 migrants have crossed the gap, with 57 percent of them coming from Venezuela.

February’s numbers were the lowest since November 2020, when nations around the world still maintained strict lockdown protocols in response to COVID-19.

In contrast, the last full month of former President Joe Biden’s administration, December 2024, saw 4,849 crossings. The highest number of monthly crossings during President Biden’s administration occurred in August 2023, with a staggering 81,946 recorded crossings.

Although it is not known for certain that all the migrants who are crossing the Gap are intending to enter the U.S. illegally, the stricter immigration policies instituted by Trump appear by virtue of timing alone to have had a profound effect on the number of crossings.

In a signal this trend will continue, a report from the Costa Rica-based outlet, the Tico Times, claimed that Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino announced the closure of the gap on Thursday.

“We will not allow more migrants in the Darién region,” said President Mulino, according to the outlet.

He also reportedly said that he expects an influx of migrants trying to cross the Gap going south in response to Trump’s immigration crackdown.

The Maine Wire could not independently verify Mulino’s comments.