Panama will deport more than 100 people from China, India, Ecuador and Colombia as part of its measures to combat the number of migrants traveling north via Central America, President Jose Mulino announced on Thursday.

The deportation flights are part of the partnership between Panama and the United States, which aims to stop irregular migration to the north – a phenomenon that has been increasing in recent years.

Panama plans to send 70 people, as well as an unspecified number of Chinese migrants, to India on September 3, Mulino said, without giving details.

In the coming days, flights with dozens of Ecuadorians and Colombians on board will also depart, he said, pointing out that Ecuadorians are the second largest migrant group in the region after Venezuelans.

29 Colombians were already sent back on an earlier flight under the same program.

Increasing numbers of migrants seeking entry to the United States are coming to Panama from the Darién Gap, a dangerous rainforest region that connects South and Central America. The Biden administration is trying to push migrants back from the U.S. southern border by setting up processing centers in Latin America and encouraging neighboring countries to strengthen their border control measures.

This year alone, more than 230,000 people have entered Panama via the Darién.

This represents a 30% increase in border crossings compared to the same period from January to August 2023, said the head of the Panamanian migration authority, Roger Mojica, on Tuesday.

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