PANAMA CITY: The first flight of deported migrants left Panama early Tuesday morning, part of a new strategy to stem the influx of people, mostly heading to the United States, crossing the dangerous jungle between Central and South America.
The Washington-funded flights come less than three months before the US presidential election in November and mark a new approach to dealing with migration, which has emerged as a top issue in the election campaign between former Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
The first flight departed from Panama City with 29 Colombians on board, all of whom had criminal records in their home country and were arrested after crossing the Darien Gap jungle.
Colombia with Panama. The deportees were shackled and handcuffed and led to the plane.
Traveled to the Darien Jungle in #Panama to assess the inhumane conditions of people who are on the move through migration or displacement. I have women and small children, mostly from #Venezuela to escape Maduro and desperately navigates the treacherous path. @TheWilsonCenter pic.twitter.com/7mb6GHthwj
— Mark Andrew Green (@AmbassadorGreen) 20 August 2024
More than half a million migrants crossed the Darién Gap last year, a record high, led by Venezuelan refugees and others from across the Americas and beyond.
The deportation flights will take place more frequently. They are part of an agreement concluded in July between US authorities and Panama’s new president Jose Mulino, who had promised during the election campaign to
Status of the country as a transit country.
Panama’s migration commissioner Roger Mojica told a news conference that efforts to deport migrants from countries other than Colombia, including Ecuador and India, were underway. He noted, however, that
The deportation of Venezuelans is likely to become more complicated since Panama broke off diplomatic relations with Venezuela following the disputed presidential election last month.
Marlen Piñeiro, an official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said the goal of the deportation flights is simple.
“The message we are sending is very clear: Darien is no longer a route,” she said, stressing that migrants should only choose legal options to enter the United States.
U.S. authorities previously announced a $6 million budget for the flights and are training Panamanians. They said the repatriations would be carried out in accordance with Panama’s laws.
(Reuters)
