“It needs to happen,” incoming border czar Tom Homan told NBC News. “Shutting down the Darien Gap is going to protect our national security. It’s going to save thousands of lives.

Panama's President José Raúl Mulino is trying to stem the flow of migrants crossing the treacherous Darien Gap, a 70-mile stretch of undeveloped jungle near the Panama-Colombia border.

The illegal journey into the US often involves dangerous crossings through multiple countries, including the treacherous Darien Gap - a vast, roadless jungle that connects Colombia and Panama.