Migrants flooding a stretch of jungle en route to the United States have spawned lucrative business opportunities for entrepreneurs looking to cash in on the crisis.
Local politicians have reportedly been charging big bucks per month to help shepherd migrants through a section of the jungle between Colombia and Panama known as the Darien Gap, moving what is estimated to be hundreds of thousands of people so far this year north toward the U.S.-Mexico border. The New York Times reported Thursday
The Biden administration vowed to “end the illicit movement” of people through the Darién jungle. But the number of migrants moving through the forest has never been greater and the profits are too big to pass up.
Every step through the jungle, there is money to be made. The boat ride to reach the rainforest: $40. A guide on the treacherous route once you start walking: $170. A porter to carry your backpack over the muddy mountains: $100. A plate of chicken and rice after arduous climbing: $10. Special, all-inclusive packages to make the perilous slog faster and more bearable, with tents, boots and other necessities: $500, or more. Hundreds of thousands of migrants are now pouring through a sliver of jung