A Biden-Era Income Source Has Dried Up, Leaving Some Who Just Tried to Earn a Living 'Dead Broke'

Thankfully, Donald Trump is now in the White House, and Americans can finally breathe a sigh of relief as they realize they managed to live through Joe Biden's disastrous economy. There were few areas of the American economy that Joe Biden didn't put on life support. Much of that was due to the massive invasion at the southern border by millions of illegal immigrants, which pushed the nation's schools and hospitals to the brink. In countries that facilitated the invasion, new lucrative sources of income sprang up. Now, those income streams are drying up, and those who participated are crying poverty.

WOW. Migrant crossings through the dangerous Darien Gap have plummeted 99% since Trump took office, with only 408 recorded crossers in February compared to over 37,100 in February 2024.

Ports once filled with hordes of migrants now lay vacant. Incredible what having a real… pic.twitter.com/xQqXqcXazV
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 11, 2025

Ports once filled with hordes of migrants now lay vacant. Incredible what having a real President can do.

The Darien Gap is an area between Colombia and Panama. Much of the area is jungle; however, several bodies of water flow through it. As the never-ending stream of immigrants came through the Gap, they needed to be ferried across those waterways. Investing in a boat and charging people to take them across the water became a highly profitable endeavor for local residents. Since Donald Trump became president, that highly profitable endeavor has all but disappeared. A woman who lives in Lajas Blancas, a major river port for dropping off immigrants, put it bluntly, saying, “When Donald Trump won, everything came to a screeching halt."

It's not hard to do the math. According to data from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), fiscal years 2023 and 2024 saw the highest numbers of illegal immigration in U.S. history. As the illegal immigrants arrived, they were charged not only for boat rides, but necessities like food, clothing, and water. It was a huge boost for an area that is accustomed to poverty.

For many, sadly, it was a simple question of making a better living. Growing plantains or other crops would normally bring in around $150 a month, versus $300 a day to operate a boat and ferry people across waterways. For people who are used to being poor, not the U.S. version of poor - a phone and two televisions - but really poor, it's kind of a no-brainer.

One man who lives in Villa Caleta, a small town in Panama, was able to install electricity in his home, buy a television and water pump, elevate his house, and install rooftop solar panels, all from money he earned from being what locals call a "lanchero," a boat pilot. He said, “Before, we lived off of the migration. But now that’s all gone.”

These boat builders and owners charge $40 per person. 20 per boat = $4,000 per short trip from the Darien Gap to waiting buses. The last thing the boat operators want is 20 drowned migrants, and the heat it will bring, hence life jackets.
— Matthew_Bracken48 (@TheMattBracken) February 1, 2023

Also Read: Jasmine Crockett Has a New Reason Illegal Immigrants Can't Be Deported, and There Are Some Issues

Securing the southern border, something Joe Biden insisted would literally take an act of Congress, was an accomplishment that Donald Trump achieved in a matter of weeks. According to the Border Patrol, illegal crossings dropped to 7,180 in March, a stark difference from the previous monthly average of 155,000 during the Biden administration. The illegal immigration industry created by Joe Biden has had far-reaching effects, certainly in the U.S. but also abroad. Those effects reach all the way down to the pocketbooks of those living near the Darien Gap, who saw a way to increase their income in a way they never had before. Because of Biden-era open borders, those who got used to making in a day what they previously had in a month will now go back to that meager living. One other resident who previously grew crops but became a boat operator said:

I’m trying this to see if things get better, see if I can buy some food. Before, I would always have my $200 a day without fail. Now, I don’t even have a cent."

Once again, liberals never seem to see the bigger picture of their policies.

Smugglers in the Darien Gap, who profited greatly from the U.S. border crisis by charging migrants for passage, are now facing financial ruin due to a significant drop in illegal migration following stricter border policies under the Trump administration.https://t.co/GeJWkRpZ9U
— Mark Bowron (@MarkBowron420) April 18, 2025

Thanks to President Trump, illegal immigration into our great country has virtually stopped. Despite the radical left's lies, new legislation wasn't needed to secure our border, just a new president.

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