Panama begins returning migrants on US-funded flights

Reuters

Colombians with criminal records were the first group to be sent back

Panama began repatriating undocumented migrants on U.S.-funded flights on Tuesday.

The decision was made less than two months after José Ral Mulino was sworn in as president of Panama.

Mr Mulino campaigned on a promise to “close” the Darin Gap, the dangerous stretch of jungle crossed by more than half a million migrants last year on their way north from South America.

The Biden administration said it agreed to pay for the flights as part of its efforts to discourage illegal immigration.

A group of 29 Colombians with criminal records were the first to be repatriated on Tuesday.

Under an agreement jointly signed by Panamanian Foreign Minister and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the United States has committed to assist Panama with $6 million ($4.6 million) for equipment, transportation and logistics to “return foreign nationals who do not have a legal basis to remain in Panama.”

Immigration is a hot topic in the run-up to the US presidential election in November, with the flow of migrants arriving at the border with Mexico being closely watched.

The deal with Panama aims to reduce the number of people crossing the US border by keeping them out further south.

The Darin Gap, a stretch of jungle that stretches across Colombia and Panama, is a natural choke point for travelers traveling from South America to North America.

An estimated 520,000 people attempted the perilous journey on foot in 2023, many of whom had to pay gangs who hunted down those who dared to cross.

President Mulino, who has pledged to reduce the number of migrants passing through Panama, called their situation “sad.”

“Most of them are from Venezuela,” he explained. “They are people… There are families torn apart, children of five or six years old whose parents died during the crossing. We don’t even know who they are or what their names are.”

Getty Images

Crossing the Darin Gap on foot takes several days and involves many dangers.

The president had previously said the flights would initially take the migrants to Colombia, the country where they entered Panama.

It is not yet known whether flights will be organised from Colombia to repatriate the refugees to their country of origin.

According to Panamanian government figures, Venezuelans make up the largest share of migrants crossing the Darin Gap, followed by Colombians, Ecuadorians and Haitians.

There is widespread fear in the region that the flow of refugees from Venezuela will increase in the coming months if the political crisis created by the announcement of the disputed election results is not resolved.

Before the election, polls indicated that large numbers of Venezuelans were considering migrating if President Nicolás Maduro won.

Tensions have been high since he was declared the winner by the government-dominated National Electoral Council, a result that was dismissed as fraudulent by the opposition and questioned by the United States, the EU and many Latin American countries.

Panamanian President Mulino earlier this month offered Maduro “safe passage” for the Venezuelan leader to travel to a third country, but his offer was rejected by Maduro, who warned his Panamanian counterpart not to “follow” Venezuela.

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