Immediately upon taking office, Panama’s new President José Raúl Mulino struck a deal with the United States to shut down the migration route through the Darién Gap, which sees thousands annually making the perilous jungle trek while seeking to reach North America. The US has committed to cover the cost of repatriation of migrants who illegally enter Panama and to deploy Homeland Security teams on the route. Last year, a record 520,000 migrants risked their lives, often at the hands of human traffickers, to traverse the Darién Gap, an expanse of roadless jungle stretching some 100 kilometers from Panama’s border with Colombia. (TNH, The Guardian)
Mulino previously served as security minister, in which capacity he oversaw repression of labor and indigenous protests, and eviction of indigenous communities from contested lands. Earlier, as justice minister, he helped integrate Panama into the US-led Merida Initiative.
Photo: David González/TNH
Deadly floods kill migrants in Darién Gap
Panamanian authorities reported finding the bodies of 10 migrants who drowned due to a sudden flood in a river while crossing the jungle border between Colombia and Panama. The number of migrants crossing the Darién Gap has decreased in the past few weeks, but more deaths were registered because of heavy rains. (TNH)
Panama: first US-funded repatriation flight
Panama on Aug. 20 launched its first deportation flight of irregular migrants who entered the country through the Darien Gap. This constitutes the first of a series of panned flights financed by the US Department of State to return irregular migrants to their home countries. According to local media, the first flight repatriated 29 individuals to Colombia. (Jurist)