The number of Afghans and Chinese crossing the border through a key migrant route has increased significantly since 2021, according to a report.

A conservative group's new report reveals that the number of migrants from countries like Afghanistan, China, and Iran using a key crossing linking Panama and Colombia has significantly increased over the past four years.

The report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) examined the increase in migration through the Darien Gap in the past four years, from 2021 to 2010-2020. The report was first obtained by Planet Chronicle Digital.

According to statistics from Panama, the number of Afghans passing through increased from 98 between 2010-2020 to 8,294 between 2021 and 2024, representing an 8,363% increase. Meanwhile, Chinese nationals increased from 299 to 39,921, Iranian crossings increased from 14 to 935, and Syrians increased from 28 to 762.

The number of individuals crossing the Darien Gap increased from 115,758 between 2010 and 2020 to 1.18 million in 2021-2024.

The US has expressed concern about espionage and cyberattacks from Chinese nationals who infiltrate the country.

Last year, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and other lawmakers stated that there are many verified cases of Chinese nationals, under the orders of the CCP, committing espionage and stealing military and economic secrets.

An Afghan national who was paroled into the U.S. as part of the evacuation after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 was found to be planning an Election Day terror plot, raising concerns about Afghan nationals.

The crisis in Panama is attributed to "open border policies" in the U.S. that "encourage migrants from all over the world to undertake a long, costly, and dangerous journey to reach the ‘El Dorado’ that is the United States."

If migrants manage to reach the U.S.'s porous borders, they are likely to be released into the country, according to the argument.

The report revealed that between 2021-2024, at least 760,000 nationals from "special interest" countries were encountered in the Gap, with over half of them being adult men.

In 2024, the top nationalities to cross were Venezuelans, Colombians, Ecuadorians, Chinese, and Haitians.

The number of people entering the Darien Gap in Panama increased rapidly from 6,000 in 2020 to over 520,000 in 2023. However, this number has since decreased to 286,000 in 2024. In May, Panama elected a new president who campaigned on ending illegal migration through the area. Following this, the country signed an accord with the U.S. under which the U.S. government would cover the costs of repatriations of those who entered through the Darien Gap.

The agreement stipulated that the U.S. would aid Panama in returning migrants who entered the country unlawfully by providing equipment, transportation, and logistics. However, there has been a significant decline in migrant encounters at the U.S. border this year, including a 55% decrease following President Biden's June proclamation limiting asylum in the U.S.

Trump has vowed to enhance border security and initiate a massive deportation drive after his inauguration.

The Darien Gap in Panama, despite U.S. aid, will not be fully resolved according to FAIR's report.

The only way to resolve the Darién Gap crisis is by stopping American immigration policy from encouraging illegal aliens to undertake this perilous journey.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.