BOGOTA, Colombia
Fernando Rodriguez is so sure that going to the US will change his life that he is willing to take the risk of passing through one of the planet’s most dangerous places – for the third time.
Rodriguez, a 28-year-old man from Argentina, cleans cars in the Colombian town of Apartado to scrape together funds to cross the Darien Gap, the treacherous, roadless stretch of jungle that connects Colombia and Panama.
The route is a key transit point for migrants trying to escape poverty, widespread violence, climate change and the post COVID-19 economic crunch, expecting to build better lives in the US.
“Third time’s the charm,” Rodriguez told Anadolu.
The first time he tried to get to the US was in 2018, when his economic situation back home in Argentina’s Jujuy province became intolerable.
“I was selling things on the street, but the money I made was not enough to eat,” he said.
He packed his belongings and traveled up north through Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador by bus for a month, until he arrived in the Colombian port city of Turbo, the jumping-off point to cross over to Panama.
But fear stopped him from trekking through the mountains, swamps, rivers and precipitous ravines of the lawless Darien jungle, where many have died in search of a better future.
That time, Rodriguez returned to Buenos Aires, where he began selling trimmers, razors, and other shaving equipment on the streets. His business prospered until the pandemic erupted and there were no buyers left.
‘No turning back’
In May 2021, he packed his passport, a tent, a change of clothes and a blanket, and sneaked onto cargo trucks to travel hundreds of kilometers north to Colombia again.
Nothing was going to stop him this time, or so he hoped.
Although only a few thousand migrants have dared to cross the inhospitable jungle in the past, more and more people are desperate enough to attempt the 70-mile journey up through South and Central America.
UN estimates show around 250,000 people crossed the Darien Gap in 2022, compared with about 133,000 in 2021.
This year, at least 60,000 minors bound for the US are expected to make the trek, according to the UN.
Rodriguez paid $20 for a boat ride from Necocli to Capurgana in Colombia, and then began the long walk through the wilds of the jungle.
“When we began that journey, I knew there was no turning back,” he said.
His group of migrants would begin walking at dawn and set up camp around midnight, where they would put on a pot and cook mostly rice.
They crossed rivers during the night and walked not knowing what they were stepping on.
“The guide warned us not to fall because there were cliffs around but we couldn’t see them,” he said.
During the four-day journey, Rodriguez fed on the little food that others offered him and found clothes on the way.
“Many people realize in the middle of the journey that the weight is holding them back and end up discarding their belongings. I would just pick up something and put it on if I needed,” he said.
‘Fear gave me strength’
Migrants crossing the jungle have to pay smugglers to guide them.
They still risk being abandoned by their guides, running out of food, or failing prey to wild animals, along with the constant threat of attacks, robberies, and killings by criminal gangs.
Rodriguez clearly remembers when he saw the swollen, decomposing corpse of a woman at a place known as the Mountain of Death, a muddy and steep slope where many have died of heart attacks.
“That scared me, but fear gave me the strength to go on because if you stop walking in that jungle, you die,” he said.
It is also a place where armed gangs attack migrants to steal whatever they may have and rape women.
Even when migrants manage to get through, the worst is yet to come.
After making it through the Darien Gap, Rodriguez had to cross to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala by bus until he reached Mexico.
That, however, was the end of his journey as he was apprehended by immigration authorities.
Rodriguez was deported to Argentina, back to where it all began, and it seemed his pursuit of a better life was over.
But he only lasted a few months at home.
A few days ago, he was on his way once again in pursuit of the American dream.
Rodriguez is currently preparing for the trek across the jungle that “swallows people.”
He is sleeping on the streets of Apartado to save money and, like a seasoned mountaineer, equipping himself with better shoes for the long walk and harsh weather conditions.
He is confident of reaching the US this time, and as soon as he does, plans to bring his girlfriend to make a life there.
“She will come by plane, though,” he joked.
He does not want her to experience the physical and mental anguish he endured while crossing the Darien Gap – the same pain that awaits him in the coming days.
