The Panama Canal, an engineering feat opened over a century ago, features impressive gates and consists of three lock sets that elevate ships significantly. While facilitating faster trade between North and South America, the canal's construction led to the displacement of Indigenous communities and environmental loss. In recent times, immigration issues have seen significant changes, with President Trump linking policies on illegal immigration to the canal. The number of migrants passing through Panama's Darién Gap has risen sharply, emphasizing the ongoing challenges faced in the region.
The canal project, taken over by the United States after a colossal French failure, erased villages of Indigenous people and consumed large swaths of rain forest.
Ships can navigate the canal in eight to ten hours, shaving weeks and millions of dollars off the time and cost required to circumnavigate the entire continent.
In 2023, the number was forty per cent higher - more than half a million people passed through the Darién Gap.
On immigration, Trump issued ten sweeping executive orders to 'repel' the 'invasion' of people without visas, even those seeking asylum.
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