The United States has pledged to pay for flights and offer support to Panama in removing migrants who illegally cross the treacherous Darien Gap, under a new agreement signed on Monday. This move comes as Panama’s new president, José Raúl Mulino, has vowed to shut down the Darien Gap, a perilous route used by migrants traveling north to the United States.
The memorandum of understanding was signed during a visit by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to Panama for President Mulino’s inauguration. According to Adrienne Watson, National Security Council spokesperson, the agreement is designed to reduce the number of migrants “cruelly smuggled through the Darien.”
The efforts to repatriate migrants are intended to “deter irregular migration in the region and at our southern border, and halt the enrichment of malign smuggling networks that prey on vulnerable migrants,” Watson added. Secretary Mayorkas echoed the sentiment, stating that “irregular migration is a regional challenge that requires a regional response.”
The Panamanian government released a statement shortly after President Mulino’s inauguration, outlining the agreement signed by Secretary Mayorkas and Panama’s Foreign Affairs Minister Javier Martínez-Acha. The statement confirmed that the U.S. government committed to covering the cost of repatriation for migrants illegally entering Panama through the Darien.
The agreement further outlines U.S. support for Panama in the form of equipment, transportation, and logistics to facilitate the return of these migrants to their home countries. President Mulino, the country’s former security minister, has been clear about his stance on illegal migration: “I won’t allow Panama to be an open path for thousands of people who enter our country illegally, supported by an international organization related to drug trafficking and human trafficking.”
According to senior administration officials, U.S. Homeland Security teams will be on the ground in Panama to assist with training Panamanian personnel and bolstering their capacity to determine which migrants, under Panama’s immigration laws, can be removed. The U.S. will also cover the cost of charter flights or commercial airplane tickets for the repatriation of these migrants. However, the U.S. will not be deciding who gets deported; the program will be entirely under Panama’s control and decisions will be made by the Panamanian government.
This agreement comes as the Darien Gap has become a major route for migrants from various parts of the Southern Hemisphere and beyond aiming to reach the United States. Over half a million people crossed the Darien Gap last year, and over 190,000 have already crossed in 2024, with a majority originating from Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, and China.
The agreement comes at a critical time for the Biden administration, as they face pressure to demonstrate their handling of immigration and border security during an election year. Former President Donald Trump, who has made immigration a focal point of his campaign, has been critical of Biden’s handling of the issue.
The Biden administration has taken steps to address the situation, including announcing a new measure in early June to limit asylum access when the number of arrivals at the southern border exceeds a certain threshold. This measure, according to Homeland Security officials, has contributed to a 40% decrease in encounters with Border Patrol since its implementation. Additionally, the administration has moved to allow spouses of U.S. citizens without legal status to apply for permanent residency and eventually citizenship without first leaving the country. This action, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of immigrants, aims to address the family separation issue.
