A boat carrying 19 immigrants — part of the “reversible” of immigrants who once wanted to arrive in the US — has been smashed from Panama's Caribbean coast on Saturday, claiming the lives of an 8-year-old Venezuelan boy Border authorities said. .
The boat, filled with mainly Venezuelans and Colombians, had a total of 21 people, including two Indigenous Panamas, in charge of piloting the vessels heading to Colombia.
Authorities say the accident occurred due to the choppy sea conditions as the other two boats discouraged them from traveling. Panama's border police confirmed that 20 people had been rescued, adding, “I am deeply sorry about the death of the minor.”
The number of immigrants who once wanted to reach the United States has increased, and the tightening of immigration policies under US President Donald Trump has led to a “reversal” in countries of origin.
Many of these immigrants have waited more than a year, sometimes more than a year, to apply for formal asylum in the US using the Biden-era CBP One app. These hopes were washed away when Trump took office and immediately shut down the app.
Panama doesn't share figures on how many immigrants are on “reverse flow” passes across the country per day, but in neighbouring Costa Rica, officials saw between 50 and 75 new immigrants every day this week He told the Associated Press that he was doing so.
With very few ways to get home, many South American immigrants began to return home to the Andean countries with the help of smugglers. They often use small electric boats that travel through Gunayara, an archipelago with hundreds of small islands in the Caribbean.
Boats often travel between coastal communities near Colombia and Panama.
A pair of immigrants who spoke with the Associated Press said they wanted to take the Marine Corps route because it was safer than traveling through the dangerous jungle trench of Darien Gap, which splits Panama and Colombia. .
Smugglers had spent a lot of money over a year ago when the movement was flowing north, continuing to make small profits for migrants who returned.
Panama's National Coastal Services said in a statement that the boat capsized on Saturday was due to severe swelling in the archipelago. Border police and villagers were conducting search and rescue operations.
Meanwhile, dozens of other migrants were taken to Gunayara on Saturday and returned to the sea.
