Venezuelans in 'reverse migration' pushed to new perils in effort to return home

Venezuelan migrants are attempting a "reverse migration" back to South America after facing challenges in the U.S. Thousands have returned since immigration policies tightened under President Donald Trump

ByMATIAS DELACROIX Associated Press and MEGAN JANETSKY Associated Press
September 22, 2025, 12:01 PM

JAQUE, Panama -- As the boat bounced across choppy Pacific waters, Mariela Gómez and her two children huddled for 17 hours on top of sloshing gas tanks, uncertain of what lay ahead in the dense jungle.

The 36-year-old Venezuelan mother was among a million migrants who journeyed across the continent in recent years in the hopes of reaching the United States. But with legal pathways slashed under U.S. President Donald Trump, she and thousands of other Venezuelans are now trying to make their way back in a “reverse migration.”

Over 14,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, have returned to South America since Trump’s immigration crackdown began, according to figures from Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica.

Struggling to buy even food after failed attempts to stay in the U.S., Gómez can't afford the $280-per-person charge for the more frequented Caribbean route to Colombia. So a growing number of migrants like her are boarding boats that ferry cargo between Panama's capital and Colombia's jungle-clad Pacific coast.

The new route is half the price and twice as dangerous.

More:
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/venezuelans-reverse-migration-pushed-new-perils-effort-return-125821064