MIAMI.- The amount that the United States contributed to the Ministry of Security of Panama, to finance the pilot plan to deport illegal immigrants from that country, is $6,000,000. The money will be used for training, technical training and repatriation flights, reported Eric Jacobstein, deputy assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the Department of State.
The memorandum of understanding signed between the United States and Panama seeks to support compliance with immigration laws in a safe and humane manner with the technical assistance of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure compliance with the protocols for an orderly and safe repatriation, respecting human rights and international law when the “non-refoulement” rule applies. These funds were delivered to the Ministry of Security of Panama.
Jacobstein held a virtual press conference with the media to explain the scope of the memorandum of understanding signed between the United States and Panama on immigration matters. He was also accompanied by Marcela Escobari, Special Assistant to the President and Coordinator of the Los Angeles Declaration of the White House, and Luis Miranda, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications at the Department of Homeland Security.
“We support repatriation operations and will be vigilant to ensure that people are protected. “They must show that they are at risk of persecution, that is, the international law protocol must be complied with,” the official said.
Jocobstein stressed that this is a pilot plan, so they have little information on how it will be implemented, especially how many people can be repatriated and the frequency of these trips, but they are very optimistic about the results that can be obtained. He clarified that no nationality in particular has been defined and that its implementation will occur in the next few weeks.
The Deputy Assistant Secretary of State recalled that the United States has provided $50 million to address the humanitarian crisis in the region. He also highlighted the cooperation between the two nations in the fight against organized crime.
In this regard, he reiterated that they have also offered $8,000,000 as a reward for information that helps with the capture of members of the Clan del Golfo, which operates in the Darien jungle.
He stressed the importance of combating criminal networks operating on that route, taking advantage of the situation of vulnerable people.
Border Security
For her part, Marcela Escobar said that “we want to strengthen the work with the administration of President Raúl José Mulino in several areas of mutual interest, including economic and commercial cooperation in the fight against corruption and organized crime and the reduction of the passage of irregular immigrants through its territory, which has reached an unprecedented number.”
Escobar also added that the signed agreement strengthens years of cooperation in border security and humanitarian assistance, and joins a growing hemispheric effort to manage this new design in a safe, humane and orderly manner, under the Los Angeles Declaration on migration and protection that the United States, Panama and 19 other countries called two years ago to join an effort to increase the consequences of regular migration and to seek regularization and integration options for migrants seeking new opportunities.
Meanwhile, Luis Miranda, principal deputy assistant secretary for communications at the Department of Homeland Security, explained that logistics will be established according to a schedule to be defined by Panama and insisted that the principle of “non-refoulement when the person is in danger in his or her country of origin” will prevail.
An orderly process is sought to mitigate the impacts of irregular migration that falls into the hands of criminal networks that seek to take advantage of vulnerable people throughout the hemisphere.
They explained that this pilot program will provide technical and logistical assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with air transportation to expand deportations “in a humane manner, to repatriate those who do not have permits to be in Panama, nor a legal basis to remain in the country,” after crossing the Darien Jungle.
Safe conduct for those who require it
However, safe-conduct passes are being considered to guarantee human rights that protect people who are being persecuted in their countries of origin, in full compliance with international agreements, they insisted.
“We have collaboration with several countries where we work to share information so that they can carry out the necessary investigations to intercept and rescue people who are being trafficked or who are being transported in difficult or dangerous conditions. In fact, for more than 18 months we have been carrying out an unprecedented campaign to attack these networks and we have been able to arrest more than 20,000 people in several countries, including the United States, who had been involved in these processes,” Miranda said.
Technology has been used to biometrically identify criminals through agreements with countries in the region, Jocobstein added, highlighting achievements in national security.
Safe Mobility
Marcela Escobar pointed out that 30,000 people have benefited from Safe Mobility, which is “a record number in the region.” She also added that this initiative was being expanded with the help and collaboration of countries in the region that are willing to create other mobility alternatives other than shelters. She indicated that in Central American countries “conversations are being held with the ministries of labor so that people who wish to do so can come to work in the United States with the corresponding visas.” Mexico and Canada have also shown interest in participating, among others.
This would mitigate the impact of criminal networks, because the coverage of labor needs would be harmonized with the countries. The United States will provide technical and financial assistance to achieve this goal within the Safe Mobility plan so that people desist from crossing dangerous roads and opt for safe routes.
“Use legal means before taking the dangerous route” is the insistence of State Department officials, who recalled that never before in the United States had so many legal programs been designed to enter that country.
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Source: VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE WITH US STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS
