The Costa Rican government announced a plan that seeks to expedite migrant smuggling in the Paso Canoas border area with Panama, which has been increasing due to the migratory flow from the Darién Jungle that only in the course of this year have A total of 248,901 migrants crossed, a historic figure that exceeds the record number of transients who crossed that border during all of last year.
The number announced by the deputy director of Migration of Panama is the highest since there are records: in 2021, 133,726 people crossed the Darién jungle; 6,465 in 2020; 22,102 in 2019; 9,222 in 2018; 6,780 in 2017; 30,055 in 2016 and 29,289 in 2015, when there was a massive influx of Cubans.
In addition, it is a measure that also responds to a community movement “that had threatened to close the border line by pressing for a solution to the problem of dozens of transients stranded in that area waiting to continue to North America.”
“We hope that this allows a decrease in the wait in Paso Canoa and that the flow towards the northern border can continue faster, which is the Government’s commitment, safe and respecting the needs of the Costa Rican communities that are being affected at this time.“said the Costa Rican Minister of Communication and Liaison, Jorge Rodríguez Vives in a statement to the EFE news agency.
The Costa Rican minister also explained that there will be an increase in buses that transport migrants from Paso Canoas to Peñas Blancas, on the border with Nicaragua. Vives indicated to the news agency that the Costa Rica Public Transport Council contacted the transport company so that 17 more units can leave, thus increasing transfers from 33 to 50.
Against migrant smuggling and human trafficking
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Costa Rica announced last July the launch of a project against trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants in the country, with the aim of strengthening institutional capacities to detect and report said crimes.
Within the framework of World Day Against Trafficking, which is commemorated this Sunday, IOM and Costa Rican institutions will implement a new joint program with financing from the Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Migration.
The initiative is focused on two large areas. The first, to contribute to reducing the vulnerabilities of migrants in transit, including access to health services, and the second, to create a data exchange in the justice system to reduce the number of frauds that migrants are victims to send or receive their remittances.
With information from EFE
