By 2024, nearly 70,000 immigrants have crossed the Darien into the United States.

(CNN Spanish) — Nearly 70,000 migrants have passed through Darien ForestPanama's defense minister, Juan Manuel Pino, said this Sunday that it will separate Colombia from Panama on its way north of the continent so far in 2024.

“More than 68,400 people passed through Panama because Panama is a transit country,” the official explained in a message posted on the Ministry of Defense account on social network X.

And 24,000 more than the same date last year, he said.

As of this Sunday, Panama's national immigration service had not released figures for arrivals through Darien in February, although earlier in the month it reported that nearly 40,000 migrants crossed the jungle between January and February of this year.

According to the organization, 90% of that number are from the Americas and 10% from other continents.

While Panama counted 520,085 people, Pino said he believes the number of immigrants by 2023 will exceed the number of people migrating through the territory.

“That's what we're seeing with what we're seeing in the southern hemisphere,” the minister said without elaborating. “We remain committed to our mission and humanitarian side.”

The 106-kilometer trek through the Darien takes migrants from Colombia to Panama and is an important step for those hoping to reach the United States and Canada.