Todd Bensman at the Center for Immigration Studies said that the "people-moving machine" in Colombia has "mainlined nearly two million foreign nationals" from 150 countries, many on the terror watchlist, through the Darien Gap and into the U.S. Bensman made this statement on October 2.

"This people-moving machine in far northwestern Colombia matters to the American public because it has mainlined nearly two million foreign nationals the last few years into American cities, including hundreds on the US terrorism watch list and criminal aliens among total strangers from 150 nations, like China," said Bensman, Senior National Security Fellow.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, the Darien Gap is a migrant route connecting Colombia and Panama. In the last three years, there have been 888,000 migrant crossings through this gap. In August 2024 alone, there were 81,000 crossings.

The U.S. is identified as the destination for these groups of migrants, which include suspected terrorists from countries such as Afghanistan and Somalia, according to a video report from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS). On July 1, 2024, Panama agreed with the U.S. to restrict access to the Darien Gap and to "pressure" Colombia into doing so as well. CIS reported that "much in the way of U.S. national and homeland security is riding on Panama’s plan to close the Darien Gap."

Since this agreement was made, CIS reports that there has been "no impact" on migration activities on the Colombian side. The Clan del Golfo, described as "the most violent and powerful criminal organization in all of Colombia," maintains complete control over the area and all migration routes. It is alleged that Colombian government entities, banks, and NGOs collaborate with Clan del Golfo in an organized manner to profit from migrants crossing through the Darien Gap en route to the southern border of the U.S.

The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) is a non-profit research organization founded in 1985. Todd Bensman, who provided this report from Colombia, serves as a Senior National Security Fellow at CIS.