Panama launched its first deportation flight on Tuesday for illegal migrants who entered the country through the Darin jungle, local media reported. This is the first of a series of flights funded by the U.S. State Department to return illegal migrants to their home countries.
According to local media, 29 people were returned to Colombia on the first flight. For migrants from other countries, the Panamanian authorities are coordinating with the authorities of those countries to organize deportation flights. However, due to the diplomatic situation between the two countries, no return flights to Venezuela are being carried out.
All of the deported people had entered Panama illegally through the Darién Jungle, or Darién Gap, a border jungle between Panama and Colombia. Composed of more than 60 miles of dense rainforest, steep mountains, and vast swamps, it is considered one of the most dangerous migration routes. Because it is the only land route connecting Central and South America, and because of the crackdown on alternative routes by sea and air, migrants and asylum seekers are increasingly crossing this region to reach the United States. In addition to the harsh natural conditions, migrants crossing this jungle also face violence and abuse from gangs operating in the area. Most migrants are from Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Haiti.
Tuesday’s deportation flights are part of an agreement signed in July between Panama and the United States to address the migration crisis. This agreement promotes cooperation between the two countries in tackling illegal migration through the Darién Gap. It includes the US State Department’s funding of repatriation flights from Panama to deport foreign nationals who have no legal basis for staying in the Central American country. The US State Department explained that this aid aims to “curb unprecedented irregular migration through the Darién region, through which over 520,000 migrants traveled in 2023.”
In addition, many of these migrants were children without families who faced unbearable living conditions such as hunger, dehydration and disease, resulting in several deaths. According to a UNICEF report, over 30,000 children crossed the dangerous Darién Gap in the first four months of this year, and another 160,000 are expected to cross the area.
The implementation of this agreement comes one month after the election of José Raúl Mulino as President of Panama. During his presidential campaign, President Mulino promised to close the country’s southern border and stressed that combating illegal migration through the Darién jungle was one of his government’s main priorities. In a speech, he also stressed that his government would initiate a repatriation process for illegal migrants entering Panama “with international support.”
In addition to the flight on Tuesday, two more repatriation flights will be carried out shortly. The first flight is planned for Friday and Saturday of this week.
