ReutersPanama on Tuesday started repatriating undocumented migrants on flights financed by the United States.
The move comes less than two months after José Raúl Mulino was sworn in as Panama’s president.
Mr Mulino campaigned on a promise to “close” the Darién Gap, the dangerous stretch of jungle which more than half a million migrants crossed last year on their way north from South America.
The Biden administration said it had agreed to pay for the flights as part of its efforts to deter irregular migration.
A group of 29 Colombians with criminal records were the first to be returned on Tuesday.
Under an agreement jointly signed by the Panamanian foreign minister and US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the US has committed to helping Panama with $6m (£4.6m) for equipment, transportation and logistics to “remove foreign nationals who do not have a legal basis to remain in Panama“.
Immigration is a hot topic ahead of November’s presidential election in the US and the stream of migrants arriving at its border with Mexico is being closely monitored.
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The agreement with Panama aims to drive down the number of people making it to the US border by stopping them further south.
The Darién Gap, an expanse of jungle which straddles Colombia and Panama, is a natural bottleneck for those heading from South to North America.
In 2023, an estimated 520,000 people made the perilous journey on foot, many of whom had to pay gangs who prey on those embarking on the crossing.
President Mulino, who has promised to reduce the number of migrants transiting through Panama, described their situation as “sad”.
“Most of them are from Venezuela,” he explained. “They’re human beings… there are families torn apart, children of five or six years of age whose parents have died during the crossing. We don’t even know who they are or what their names are.”
The agreement with Panama aims to drive down the number of people making it to the US border by stopping them further south.
The Darién Gap, an expanse of jungle which straddles Colombia and Panama, is a natural bottleneck for those heading from South to North America.
In 2023, an estimated 520,000 people made the perilous journey on foot, many of whom had to pay gangs who prey on those embarking on the crossing.
President Mulino, who has promised to reduce the number of migrants transiting through Panama, described their situation as “sad”.
“Most of them are from Venezuela,” he explained. “They’re human beings… there are families torn apart, children of five or six years of age whose parents have died during the crossing. We don’t even know who they are or what their names are.”
The agreement with Panama aims to drive down the number of people making it to the US border by stopping them further south.
The Darién Gap, an expanse of jungle which straddles Colombia and Panama, is a natural bottleneck for those heading from South to North America.
In 2023, an estimated 520,000 people made the perilous journey on foot, many of whom had to pay gangs who prey on those embarking on the crossing.
President Mulino, who has promised to reduce the number of migrants transiting through Panama, described their situation as “sad”.
“Most of them are from Venezuela,” he explained. “They’re human beings… there are families torn apart, children of five or six years of age whose parents have died during the crossing. We don’t even know who they are or what their names are.”
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