Panama’s president said the ongoing migrant crisis in the Western Hemisphere is an “American problem,” adding that the deportation flights, which are partly funded by the United States, are strictly voluntary.
“This is an American issue that we’re dealing with,” the new president said. Jose Raul Mulino He said on Thursday.
“People don’t want to live here in Panama. They want to go to the United States.”
Panama is a key transit point for migrants heading north, with many traveling through the Darien Gap, a huge jungle stretch that crosses Panama and Colombia, on their way from Central America to the United States.
The United States is working with Panama and Colombia to restrict crossings and last year ran a 60-day campaign to address the humanitarian crisis.
The campaign aimed to end the irregular movement of people, open new “legal and flexible pathways” for migrants, and launch a plan to “reduce poverty, improve public service delivery, create jobs, and promote economic and sustainable opportunities in the border regions of northern Colombia and southern Panama through international partnerships across financial institutions, civil society and the private sector.”
But more than half a million migrants passed through Panama last year, and Mulino has vowed to implement reforms to resolve the crisis and make the country a less attractive destination for migrants.
He also vowed to increase deportations.
Earlier this month, the United States signed a memorandum of understanding to help Panama repatriate migrants by covering the cost of repatriation flights and other assistance.
Efforts to send some migrants back to their home countries “It will help stem illegal migration in the region and on our southern border and prevent the strengthening of vicious smuggling networks that prey on vulnerable migrants,” a US spokesman said.
But Murino clarified this week that only migrants who agree to it will be deported.
If migrants don’t want to go back to their home countries, “they’ll go (to the U.S.). We can’t arrest them. We can’t deport them.”
The Biden administration has stressed the importance of foreign relationships and cooperation as part of its strategy to reduce foreign trade. Border checkpointThe border conflict remains America’s biggest political issue, and it has exploded under his watch.
Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for reversing Trump-era policies and accuse it of encouraging immigration with its “open borders” agenda.
The administration says it needs Congress to provide funding and reform, but so far that hasn’t happened.
But they recently noted that numbers have been declining since President Biden announced executive orders limiting border crossings and tightening standards for asylum screening.
Since June, encounters have fallen by more than 50%, and releases have fallen by 70%.
Officials also say the administration has removed and deported more than 50,000 individuals to more than 100 countries.
Mulino told reporters he hoped Venezuela’s upcoming elections would also help.
“Almost the entire population of Venezuela walks there every day,” Mulino said.
“I am convinced that if elections are conducted properly in the country and the will of the people is respected no matter who wins, the numbers will go down.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
