The United States and Panama signed an agreement Monday that will allow U.S. officials to help the Panamanian government deport migrants crossing the Darién Gap, a once impenetrable jungle that has become a popular transit point for those who travel to the southern border of the US.
Under the joint initiative, US immigration officials will train and provide assistance to Panamanian authorities to help them carry out more deportations of migrants heading north. In recent years, Panama has recorded a record number of crossings through the roadless Darién jungle, including more than half a million in 2023 alone.
The Department of Homeland Security will send officials who have experience screening asylum applications and deporting migrants to Panama so they can assist their Panamanian counterparts on the ground. With State Department funds, the US will also help Panama build its deportation infrastructure.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who attended the inauguration of Panamanian President-elect José Raúl Mulino on Monday, said the agreement is part of a “regional response” to migration.
“As the United States continues to secure our borders and remove people without a legal basis to remain, we are grateful for our partnership with Panama to manage historic levels of migration in the Western Hemisphere,” Mayorkas said in a statement. .
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Mulino has pledged to take a tough stance against migrant arrivals in Panama, pledged to “close” the Darién gap and accused international aid workers of facilitating illegal migration.
The agreement between the two countries had been in the works for months. CBS News reported for the first time about the Biden administration's plans to send US immigration officials to Panama in November.
The move is the latest action taken by the Biden administration to curb illegal crossings at the US southern border. Last month, following President Biden's decision to partially shut down asylum processing through his executive authority, illegal border crossings fell to the lowest level recorded during his administration.
The deal also underscores how much the US, under both Democratic and Republican administrations, has come to rely on other countries to reduce migrant crossings along its southern border.
Over the past few months, Mexican officials have conducted an aggressive operation to prevent migrants from reaching northern Mexico. Ecuador also recently imposed visa requirements for Chinese migrants, who were using the South American country as a water lily to reach the US border.
Camilo Montoya-Galvez
