Thousands of migrants return home by boat after Trump’s crackdown on asylum

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. After former President Donald Trump's crackdown on asylum policies, many migrants, primarily from Venezuela and Colombia, have abandoned their attempts to reach the US. open image in gallery Venezuelan migrants board boats to Colombia The speed boat route, which crosses through the Indigenous Guna Yala lands, was once part of what smugglers called the VIP route, in which migrants paid more so they wouldn't have to take the deadly trek through the Darien Gap. It’s unclear exactly how many people cross through the boat route daily, but for weeks, large groups, including several hundred from mainly Venezuela and Colombia, have been flocking to the area, where Indigenous laws govern. A dangerous journey Some of the migrants waiting for their boat back to Colombia said they refused to return to Venezuela after the country’s recent elections, which have fueled democratic alarm and violence.