Panama and the US will sign an agreement to stop migration

The elected president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, announced that next Monday he will sign a memorandum of understanding with the United States that will allow the closure of the border with Colombia to begin with the aim of stopping the arrival and passage of migrants through Panama.

The agreement between both countries will be signed by Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Security of the United States, and President Mulino, who officially takes office as president of Panama next Monday. Mayorkas is part of the official US government delegation that will attend Mulino’s inauguration.

Mulino explained that the agreement entails an orderly repatriation process for any migrant who attempts to enter Panama without a passport, with the cost of the transfer assumed by the United States.

The Minister of Security, Frank Ábrego, explained that the trails through which migrants enter from Colombia will be closed, and the Panamanian State will respect the human rights of each person who has to be repatriated through the agreement that will be signed in the coming days. .

Lajas Blancas is the second stop that migrants make after arriving in Bajo Chiquito. Every day, between one thousand and two thousand migrants arrive at this reception from Venezuela, Ecuador, Haiti and China, to name a few. The president-elect visited this reception to announce measures to stop this humanitarian crisis that is affecting the country in many aspects, including security, health, environment and economy. He specified that this crisis has cost the national treasury more than $100 million.

Between one thousand and one thousand four hundred people arrive daily at the Lajas Blancas camp after a dangerous journey through the jungle of the so-called Darién Gap, according to information from the National Border Service (SENAFRONT). Many are children and women who are victims of rape along the way. Others die on the way due to the inhumane conditions there.

Mulino described the humanitarian crisis that occurs in these migrant camps as devastating. “This is not the Darien that I knew. This is a complicated Darién with a very serious humanitarian crisis that creates a problem for us. “Panama is not this type of country of transit and destination for migrants,” said the president-elect.

In addition, the elected president reported that a complaint will be presented to the United Nations (UN) about the damage that the country has experienced due to the migration crisis that has overwhelmed other nations. It will do the same in the UN Security Council, of which Panama is a part.

Among the effects that are being taken into account are economic, public health, environmental pollution and damage to the agricultural sector, among others.

Mulino explained that the complaint to the UN will be presented in September, in his first speech as president, in which he will bring a loud and clear voice to the world. To this end, he said, he has asked the ministers of the Environment, Foreign Affairs and Public Security, as well as the directors of the National Border Service and the Aeronaval Service, to document a case that will serve him as president to file an international complaint about the effect that the migration crisis is having in the country.

“Panama is going to be a whistleblower to the world about this situation that cannot continue to be treated silently or half-heartedly in the region and outside it,” said Mulino. He added that “I am not going to allow Panama to remain resilient to this problem. For this reason, I have asked the ministries of Security, Foreign Affairs, Senafront and the National Aeronaval Service to document a case to establish an international complaint through our embassies and international bodies.”