What One Image Shows About the Darién Gap - The New York Times

They were a tiny part of a ceaseless surge: Venezuelans bound for the U.S. in the hope, however illusory, of a new life. But Luis Miguel Arias could not go on. It was Sept. 23, 2022, and he was only two days into the notoriously brutal Darién Gap. Already he was so spent he could not even speak. His daughter, Melissa Arias, 4, was making the journey with him. She had eyes only for her father as he faltered. Their boots told a tale of peril: For years, few dared cross the Gap, which links Colombia to Panama. The mud is so deep it can swallow a person whole. Behind them was the trail of debris migrants leave behind as they go through their provisions — or just try to lighten their load. The sleeping mat was bought in Colombia, as the family was about to enter the Gap. Many migrants bring them. Many end up abandoning them. Supported by By Federico Rios When I first met Mr. Arias, something extraordinary was happening. Venezuelans in never-before-seen numbers had given up on their country,

They were a tiny part of a ceaseless surge: Venezuelans bound for the U.S. in the hope, however illusory, of a new life. But Luis Miguel Arias could not go on. It was Sept. 23, 2022, and he was only two days into the notoriously brutal Darién Gap. Already he was so spent he could not even speak. His daughter, Melissa Arias, 4, was making the journey with him. She had eyes only for her father as he faltered. Their boots told a tale of peril: For years, few dared cross the Gap, which links Colombia to Panama. The mud is so deep it can swallow a person whole. Behind them was the trail of debris m