• 4.1K people in Colombia’s Amazon face needs due to mobility restrictions and confinement

Mexico recorded 1.2 million migrant detentions in 2024, the highest annual figure on record and a 58.5 per cent increase from 2023. The majority involved people in irregular status detained in Tabasco and Chiapas. Venezuelans made up 29.3 per cent of those detained, followed by Ecuadorians and Hondurans, alongside rising numbers from Asia and Africa. The trend continued into 2025, with 87,000 additional detentions reported. This sharp increase contrasts with a 34 per cent drop in migrant detentions at the U.S. southern border. In this context, Médecins Sans Frontières reported a 36 per cent rise in mental health consultations at its Mexico City center in early 2025, with most patients experiencing trauma, anxiety, and depression linked to their migration experience.

On 14 May, Panama’s Public Security Ministry announced the closure of a major migrant reception center near the eastern border with Colombia, citing over a month without new arrivals through the Darién Gap. The UN-led Human Mobility Group is now monitoring flows of migrants seeking to return who are entering via alternate routes at the Costa Rica border. IOM and partners are assisting in Miramar, in the Atlantic coast province of Colón, where many migrants report violence, theft, and kidnappings along the route, especially in Mexico. The drop in crossings—down 96 per cent by early March 2025 compared to 2024—follows stricter migration controls, increased deportations and nearly 1,900 repatriation flights. Seasonal weather factors also contributed to the decline.

The Government and the UN continue scaling up humanitarian operations in Beni, as heavy rains trigger new emergencies in Caranavi, La Paz. Landslides, river overflows, and road collapses have affected 102 communities and displaced 800 families. The floods destroyed 32 homes and cut off two schools. Rural areas remain isolated with no alternate road access or adequate machinery to clear debris, leading to food and fuel shortages. In Beni, CERF partners WFP, UNICEF, and FAO are delivering life-saving support to over 15,000 people. The Vice-Ministry of Defence is leading the national response, providing food, safe water, sanitation, and hygiene kits. WFP and UNICEF are also coordinating field activities in Caranavi with Caritas Bolivia.

New reports indicate that at least 4,100 people, primarily from indigenous communities, are facing humanitarian needs in the Amazon region. In the non-municipalized area of Puerto Santander (Amazonas), 813 indigenous people across ten communities remain confined due to mobility restrictions. Armed group activity and disrupted transport along the Caquetá River have cut access to food, fuel, healthcare, hygiene supplies, as well as preventing fishing, hunting, crop gathering, and community activities, with Belem reporting the worst impacts. These conditions stem from the presence and actions of Non-State Armed Groups (NSAGs) near the borders of Amazonas, Putumayo, and Caquetá. An additional 3,324 people in Putumayo and Caquetá remain affected by confinement, mobility restrictions, and displacement.