(MENAFN) Roughly 14,000 individuals traveling toward the United States have instead made their way back to South America, marking what officials call an extraordinary spike in "reverse migration," as detailed in a recent bulletin released Friday.

Between January and July, there was a sharp escalation in southward movement, as emphasized in a joint report from the administrations of Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica.

This collaborative effort, with backing from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, surveyed prominent migrant paths and inspection sites throughout the three nations from July 21 to August 1.

"The mission allowed us to verify that transit restrictions in the Darien jungle, along with stricter immigration policies in the United States, led to a 97% reduction in irregular northbound migration between January and August 2025," the report stated.

This development stands in stark contrast to over 260,000 people who undertook the journey during the equivalent timeframe in 2024.

The majority of those who reversed course were citizens of Venezuela, comprising 97% of the documented return flow, with most crossing back into adjacent Colombia.

Drawing on 182 personal accounts from those who turned back, the report found that 49% cited the inability to gain entry to the US as their motivation for returning, while 46% pointed to apprehensions about being detained or expelled as the driving force behind their decision.

MENAFN30082025000045017167ID1109995934