Matthew Bracken (@Matt_Bracken)

After walking over the Darien Gap from Colombia, which takes 4-10 days, migrants get in these river boats to reach buses near the Pan American Hwy. These migrants can make it from China to the U.S. border in about 5 weeks. Ecuador requires no visa, anybody can fly there and catch a bus to Colombia. Incredibly, these river boats are made from just 3 pieces of wood: A big center hull piece and 2 full-length side planks. China is busy on the Pacific side cutting down these magnificent trees and shipping them to China. A few become boats like these. With 20 migrants per trip, at $40 per short river trip, each trip can earn the boat owners $800. This is HUGE money in Darien Province, Panama, and is totally distorting the local economy. @Michael_Yon https://twitter.com/MarkSimonHK/status/1620403577482280960