Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino on Thursday reiterated plans to deport U.S.-bound migrants who cross Panama via the dangerous Darien Canyon jungle road.
Mulino made the allegations in a speech after the National Audit Commission formally appointed him as Panama's president for the term 2024-2029.
“As I have already begun to say, we will work to put an end to the Darien journey, which has no reason to exist, and I reiterate that Panama and our Darien are not a transit route,” Mulino said.
“No, it's our border,” he continued. “And the concept of closure is [of the Darien gap] The ideas I have outlined also include the philosophical concepts associated with closing the borders on the grounds that, with international support, we will begin the process of repatriation with full respect for the human rights of all people there.”
“The people there are [in South American nations] It warned “anyone wishing to come here” that “anyone who arrives here will be deported to their country of origin.”
Mulino, a 64-year-old conservative lawyer and former security minister, Elected Mulino ran for president of Panama in the 2024 general election as the candidate of the “Save Panama” coalition of the conservative Realizing Goals and centrist Alliance parties. Mulino received 34.23% of the vote, 10% more than his nearest rival, Ricardo Lombana of the green party Another Way Movement (MOCA).
Murino was a “last-minute” candidate in this year's presidential election, running as a replacement for former President Riccardo Martinelli (2009-2014), who was barred from running by a local court ruling. Sentenced He faces a 10-year prison sentence in 2023 for money laundering.
Martinelli has been based at the Nicaraguan Embassy in Panama City since February. exile After the Panamanian Supreme Court rejected Martinelli's appeal, local authorities denied him safe departure from Panama.
Mulino Appointed He took office on July 1, succeeding center-left President Laurentino Cortizo.
During his presidential campaign, Mulino pledged to close the Darien Valley, a dangerous jungle pass where Panama meets neighboring Colombia that has seen hundreds of thousands of migrants cross into the United States from South America and elsewhere in recent years.
According to the Panamanian government statisticsAbout 520,000 migrants were recorded crossing the Darien Gap in 2023, a record-breaking figure that is double the number in 2022.
According to the Panamanian government, the majority of migrants who crossed the Darien Plateau in 2023 were of Venezuelan nationality, followed by Ecuadorian, Haitian and Chinese nationals.
Panama Immigration Announced On April 18, it was announced that 125,311 migrants had passed through the Darien Highlands between January and April 17.
Last month, Mulino stated He said that if elected president, he would “close off” the Darien Valley and deport migrants in accordance with human rights provisions. He has not released details of his plans to close off the Darien Valley.
The mayor's office of Necoclí, Colombia's border city, expressed “deep concern” this week about Mulino's April comments on the issue, arguing that “measures such as those being considered by the new Panamanian government could further exacerbate the flow of migrants to the Colombian-Panama border region.”
“Just two months ago, a crisis occurred when approximately 1,000 migrants arrived at the city at once, overwhelming the city's capacity to cope with such a large number of people and causing chaos,” the mayor's office said in a statement.
Christian K. Caruso is a Venezuelan author documenting life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter. here.
