The Panamanian authorities on Tuesday began operating US-funded deportation flights for migrants intercepted at the Darién Gapthe treacherous jungle path used by hundreds of thousands of migrants on their way north.

A group of 29 Colombians with criminal records were the first to be repatriated, the BBC reported. The United States has committed to “deporting foreign nationals who have no legal basis to remain in Panama.”

Panama President José Raúl Mulino said the flights would go to Colombia, the country where they will begin their journey through the Darién Gap.It is unclear whether there will be further flights from Colombia to the countries of origin of other intercepted migrants.

Washington has pledged $6 million to repatriate migrants from the Central American country in the hope of reducing illegal border crossings at its southern border. The agreement also provides for This includes U.S. support to Panama with equipment, transportation and logistics for foreign nationals discovered in migration flows that violate Panama’s immigration laws. Mulino said earlier this month that the flights would bring the migrants back to Colombia.

Mulino recently told Univision Noticias: He “feels it in his heart” and acknowledges that many of those crossing are Venezuelans fleeing the country’s political and social crisis.

“Most of them come from Venezuela. It is a sad situation because they are first and foremost human beings.” Families are being torn apart. There are children aged five or six whose parents died on the journey and who are now in Panamanian shelters. We don’t know who they are or what their names are,” he added.

Since taking office on July 1, Mulino has placed a strong emphasis on curbing migration through the Darién Pass. Last year, over half a million people crossed this border, more than half of whom were Venezuelans.

The country’s national border guard reported at the end of July that 11,363 migrants had crossed the border since the first day of the month, about 9,000 fewer than in the same period last year. In total, more than 216,000 people have crossed the border so far. And it is expected that the numbers will continue to fall due to the large number of flights, not only because so many people are effectively being deported, but also because this creates a deterrent effect.

The Mulino government has implemented a series of measures, including laying barbed wire along various paths. Jorge Gobea, director general of the National Border Guard, said the measure consists of 3 miles of barbed wire along five paths to guide migrants into a “humanitarian corridor.”

“We have closed more than five clandestine routes used by organized crime to mobilize migrants from Colombia to Panama. The intention is to channel this flow, not to interrupt it, but to direct it along a single route, he said.