Panama’s president said the ongoing migrant crisis in the Western Hemisphere is an “American problem,” adding that the deportation flights, which are partly funded by the United States, are strictly voluntary.
“This is a U.S. problem we’re dealing with,” newly elected President José Raul Mulino said Thursday. “People don’t want to live here in Panama. They want to go to the U.S.”
Panama is a key transit point for migrants heading north, with many traveling through the Darien Gap, a huge jungle stretch that crosses Panama and Colombia, on their way from Central America to the United States.
U.S. pays for flights to help remove migrants from Panama who may be heading north
Panama’s President-elect Jose Raul Mulino talks with a Venezuelan migrant, left, who crossed the Darien Canyon from Colombia on foot, and other migrants, at a camp in Lajas Blancas, Panama, June 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Mathias Delacroix, File)
The United States is working with Panama and Colombia to restrict crossings and last year ran a 60-day campaign to address the humanitarian crisis.
The campaign aimed to end the irregular movement of people, open new “legal and flexible pathways” for migrants, and launch a plan to “reduce poverty, improve public service delivery, create jobs, and promote economic and sustainable opportunities in the border regions of northern Colombia and southern Panama through international partnerships across financial institutions, civil society and the private sector.”
But more than half a million migrants passed through Panama last year, and Mulino has vowed to implement reforms to resolve the crisis and make the country a less attractive destination. He also vowed to increase deportations.
Earlier this month, the United States signed a memorandum of understanding to help Panama repatriate migrants, under which the United States will cover the cost of repatriation flights and other assistance. The effort to return some migrants to their home countries “will help stem illegal migration in the region and on the U.S. southern border, and halt the expansion of vicious smuggling networks that prey on vulnerable migrants,” a U.S. spokesman said.
But Murino clarified this week that only migrants who agree to it will be deported.
If migrants don’t want to go back to their home countries, “they’ll go (to the U.S.). We can’t arrest them. We can’t deport them.”
A Haitian migrant walks down a muddy hillside trail through wild and dangerous jungle on November 20, 2022 in the Darien Gap, Colombia. (Yang Seo-chul/Getty Images)
The Darien Jungle, a dangerous route for migrants, is becoming more accessible as more migrants enter Panama.
The Biden administration has stressed the importance of diplomatic relations and cooperation as part of its strategy to reduce the number of people crossing the border. The border crisis remains the top political issue in the United States, and the number of people crossing the border has skyrocketed under the administration.
Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for reversing Trump-era policies and accuse it of encouraging immigration with its “open borders” agenda.
The administration has said it needs funding and reforms from Congress that have so far failed to deliver, but it has noted in recent days that migrant numbers have fallen since President Biden issued executive orders limiting border crossings and raising standards for asylum applications.
Despite U.S. efforts, number of migrants passing through the Darien Gap hits new record
Since June, encounters have fallen by more than 50 percent and releases have fallen by 70 percent. Officials also say the regime has deported more than 50,000 people to more than 100 countries.
Mulino told reporters he hoped Venezuela’s upcoming elections would also help.
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“Almost every Venezuelan walks there every day,” Mulino said. “If Venezuela’s elections were conducted properly, with respect for the will of the people, whoever wins, those numbers would certainly be reduced.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
