Panama plans to begin deporting Darien Gap migrants in coming months
The Panamanian government plans to launch deportation flights for migrants who have crossed the dangerous Darien jungle in two to three months, Roger Mojica, the country’s migration chief, said Friday.
The flights will be funded by the United States under a recent agreement reached between the two countries earlier this month.
“We are determining the needs, the equipment and the requirements that Panama must meet to start the program, and we are in discussions with the United States,” Mojica said in a conference call. “We estimate that we can start the process in two to three months.”
Panama’s new president, José Raul Mulino, has pledged to reduce illegal immigration and has begun working closely with the United States to control the jungle passage that connects Central America to Colombia. The Darien Gap, a jungle that connects Central America to the South American continent, saw a record 500,000 migrants cross it last year in search of safety and better economic opportunities abroad.
Panamanian authorities estimate that about 213,702 people, including thousands of Haitians fleeing gang violence, have crossed the Darien so far this year, many of them children.
The issue of migration has gained momentum ahead of elections in the United States, a key destination for many migrants, with Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump promising stricter borders and mass deportations.
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