Joe Jackson writes for Aljazeera on how people from around the world end up here on the journey northward to the US.

YAVIZA, Panama — As dusk fell on a recent Saturday, a long dugout canoe floated into this remote town in Darién province of Panama, carrying an increasingly frequent cargo of improbable origins.

At a border police base by the Chucunaque River, the human haul — 13 Bangladeshis, seven Nepalese and two Somalis — disembarked to noisy greetings from other migrants on the bank.

Looking tired, nervous and disoriented, the new arrivals assembled in front of border police officers and emptied their small backpacks. Meager collections of clothes, food in plastic bags and water bottles spilled out.

It was just another stop for them on epic, brutal journeys, spanning months and continents, unified by the shared desire to escape poverty, war or other immense challenges for one destination: North America.

“Everybody wants to reach the U.S.,” said a 21-year-old South African, nicknamed Rrahim, who began traveling nine months ago. “It’s the best country in the world.” Like other migrants, he spoke to Al Jazeera on the condition that his real name would not be used, for fear of legal consequences.

Rrahim is part of a small but rapidly increasing number of migrants taking this potentially perilous path through Panama. Their journeys to North America often span continents and pass through the Darién Gap, one of the most dangerous regions of Central America.
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