From La Estrella:

A call for unity and regional cooperation to face the challenges of irregular migration echoes during the Ministerial Meeting on Migration, which takes place on the Isthmus (April 19 and 20) with the presence of the Secretaries of State and Security from the United States, Antony Blinken and Alejandro Mayorkas, in addition to 20 representatives from countries in the region.

Foreign ministers, ministers and non-governmental organizations are discussing today at the Playa Bonita hotel, located on the banks of the Panama Canal, formulas to avoid the massive migratory flows bound for the United States and passing through several countries in the region, which entails another type of local response.

In this context, two central issues are discussed behind closed doors, security and migration, which serve as a preamble to the Summit of the Americas that will take place in the state of California, United States next June.

One focused on security issues led by the Panamanian Minister of Security, Juan Pino y Mayorkas, in front of his counterparts in the region. The second round table, in which Blinken and the Panamanian Foreign Minister, Erika Mouynes, participated, addressed the stabilization of communities and post-Covid economic recovery, in addition to inclusive measures to cover the basic needs of populations as a way to discourage irregular flows migrants in alliance with multilateral organizations and financial institutions.

As a palliative to inhibit migratory flows, it seeks to create decent jobs and living conditions, in that sense, Blinken said that Vice President Kamala Harrys a few months ago called on the private sector to invest approximately $2 billion in Central America. to advance in the region. “At the Summit of the Americas we will address the drivers of irregular migration, there we will adopt a declaration to take the alliance to another level,” said the Secretary of State.

The Secretary of State also outlined migration as a common, urgent problem that requires a way of working together.

Millions of people who have made the decision to leave their homes have done so for many reasons: repressive governance, corruption, conflict in security, in the end we know this, acknowledged Blinken. The idea is to attack the root causes, but this takes time, meanwhile many populations live in need.

No country can face challenges such as irregular migration individually, we must try to join forces and dedicate more resources to provide them with greater social services. As part of the overall progress, he said Colombia has granted 600,000 Venezuelans temporary protected status. That means that migrants can integrate into life and receive vaccination services.

Foreign Minister Erika Mouynes outlined three clear objectives to her counterparts: agree on a framework that facilitates migration policies in the region, expand collaborative efforts against transnational organized crime, and establish a dynamic of cooperation between states, banking national development to correct the causes of irregular migration.

At the security table, Minister Pino proposed three lines of action to contain irregular migration: the strengthening and exchange of information; the standardization of control measures through the use of technological tools, and cooperative security for the promotion of regional security.

He mentioned that irregular migration faces latent risks such as the branches of transnational organized crime, migrant smuggling, human trafficking, drug trafficking and terrorism, and other related crimes. It also represents a health risk and impacts the environment and natural resources due to the improvisation of routes and the massive flow.

It is a challenge that requires the integration and sum of efforts by the states. Strategic alliances and joint actions such as the use of technological tools, the exchange of information to give way to an orderly and more humane migration. He stressed that in Panama migration has become a matter of public security, applying a controlled flow, the establishment of regional stations and biometric controls as part of the actions to locate and repress criminal groups with transnational reach.

For his part, Secretary Mayorkas referred to the obligation to provide stability to the lives of individuals who feel the need to leave their homes, an investment in their present and future. Protect them so they don’t feel persecuted. The second rationale that Mayorkas expressed is to avoid irregular migration and for those who really feel the need to flee because they do not feel safe in their country, offer them a path that does not require individuals who put them at greater risk, traffickers who only seek to exploit them. . Mayorkas’ third idea focused on border protection.

It is a responsibility not only because we are together on this issue as a community, but also because the irregular migration we are experiencing is a challenge for all of us, it is not isolated, and the urgency to address it cannot be ignored.

“If we manage our border we can identify people seeking humanitarian aid and provide them with the aid they qualify for, an opportunity to settle and integrate into our country. It is also our responsibility to repatriate those who do not qualify to receive this protection, “said the US Secretary of Security. He described his country of him as a nation of migrants and of law.

He concluded with the need to face this challenge jointly, since it is a phenomenon that does not destabilize only one country, but impacts all, those of origin, transit and destination.

Earlier, it was reported about the signing of Panama and the United States of the Letter of Understanding on Migration Management and Migrant Protection. The agreement on migration management and protection of migrants falls within the general framework of documents of this nature that the United States develops with its counterparts on the continent, reads a statement issued by the US Embassy in Panama. According to the press release, the idea is to establish a new joint roadmap in response to the historical flows of migrants and refugees in the region.

The Letter of Understanding on Migration Management and Protection of Migrants is a reflection of the principles of this regional approach, through the promotion of humane border management, the stability of displaced populations and communities receiving migrants, as well as greater access to personal protection and legal migration pathways, to provide an alternative to irregular migration.