CITY OF PANAMA- Panama’s president-elect, José Raúl Mulino, who takes office next week, announced on Friday that he will sign an agreement with the United States to jointly repatriate the migrants that cross the inhospitable jungle of Darien on the border with Colombia.
The document, according to Mulino, will be signed on Monday in a meeting with the Secretary of Homeland Security of the United States, Alejandro Mayorkas, who will visit Panama that day for the inauguration of the new president.
“On that day I hope to sign a respectful and dignified agreement with the United States so that the two countries can begin the repatriation process for all these people who are accumulated here,” said Mulino, visiting the Temporary Reception Center for Migrants in Lajas Blancas, in the province of Darien, some 250 km east of Panama City.
“Route”
However, the elected president, who toured the place accompanied by future ministers and spoke with several migrants, did not provide details about the agreement.
“I have seen crises in Darien of a different dimension, but this one has crossed the line. I cannot and it broke my heart to see children the age of my grandchildren asking me for a bottle of water,” he added, announcing that he will denounce the migration crisis facing his country internationally.
The 575,000-hectare Darien jungle on the border between Panama and Colombia has become a corridor for migrants from South America trying to reach the United States in search of work opportunities.
In 2023, more than 520,000 people crossed this route, despite facing dangers such as rushing rivers, wild animals and criminal groups. Many die on the way.
Source: With information from AFP
