Panamanian President-elect Jose Raul Mulino on Thursday reiterated his plan to deport U.S.-bound migrants who cross Panama through the dangerous Darien Gap jungle trail.
Mulino made the claim as part of a speech after the National Audit Commission formally declared him President of Panama for the 2024-2029 term.
“As I have already begun to say, I will work to end the journey of the Darien, which has no reason to exist. I reiterate that Panama and our Darien are not transit routes,” Mulino said. Told.
No, it’s our borders and the concept of closure [of the Darien gap] The idea I have outlined also hints at philosophical concepts related to border closures. The rationale is to begin a repatriation process with international assistance and full respect for the human rights of all those there.
“Those people over there,” Mulino warned. [in South American nations] And those who wanted to come were told that “those who arrive here will be repatriated to their country of origin.”
“Panama and New Estro Darién maintain cross-border relations, without a señor, implying the concept of the front line and the concept of the city”, the realization of the Panamanian presidential election @JoseRaulMulino.
Agreggo… pic.twitter.com/W9XxZP9PWy— Telemetro Report (@TReporta) May 10, 2024
Mulino, a 64-year-old conservative lawyer and former security minister, said: elected He will be sworn in as Panama’s president in Sunday’s 2024 general election as a candidate for the Save Panama coalition, which is made up of the conservative Achievement Party and the centrist Alliance Party. Mulino received 34.23% of the vote, 10% more than his closest rival, Ricardo Lombana of the Movement Another Way (MOCA) Green Party.
Mulino was a “last-minute” candidate in the 2024 presidential election to replace former president Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014), who was barred from running by a local court. declared In 2023, he will be sentenced to 10 years in prison for money laundering.
Since February, Martinelli has remained inside the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama City, where a search is underway. exile After Panama’s Supreme Court rejected his appeal request. Local authorities have not allowed Martinelli to leave Panama safely.
Former Panama President Ricardo Martinelli (AP Photo/Eric Batista, File)
Mulino will take up his post on July 1, replacing outgoing center-leftist Laurentino Cortizo.
During his presidential campaign, Mulino vowed to close the Darien Gap, a dangerous jungle trail shared by Panama and neighboring Colombia. In recent years, hundreds of thousands of immigrants have crossed the Darien Gap from South American countries and other regions to reach the United States.
According to the Panamanian government statisticsApproximately 520,000 migrants are recorded to have crossed the Darien Valley in 2023, a record number double that of 2022.
According to the Panamanian government, the majority of migrants who crossed the Darien Ditch in 2023 were Venezuelan nationals, followed by Ecuador, Haiti and China.
panama migration services informed On April 18, it was announced that 125,311 migrants crossed the Darien Gorge between January and April 17.
On October 15, 2022, most Venezuelans cross a river from Colombia to Panama on their journey through the Darien Gorge, aiming to reach the United States. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)
April, Mulino said If elected president, he said he would “close” the Darien Gap and deport immigrants in line with human rights rules. He has not made public the specifics of his plan to close the Darien Gap.
The office of the mayor of Necocri, a Colombian town bordering Panama, expressed “deep concern” over Mr. Mulino’s April comments about Darien, saying, “Measures such as the one being considered by Panama’s new government would only further increase the flow of migrants. It could make things worse.” ” towards the shared border area of Colombia and Panama.
“Just two months ago, we experienced a crisis situation when we intercepted approximately 1,000 migrants. Our limited capacity to handle such a large population created chaos for our municipality,” the mayor’s office said in a statement. Ta.
Christian K. Caruso is a Venezuelan writer who chronicles life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
