In a major turn of events, Panama announced on Tuesday, August 20, that it has begun transporting undocumented migrants on flights funded by the United States.
José Raúl Mulino, who sworn in as Panama’s president on July 1, 2024, had pledged during his campaign to tackle the issue of the Darién Gap, a hazardous jungle region that over half a million migrants crossed last year while traveling north from South America.
As per BBC, the Darién Gap, which lies between Colombia and Panama, is a significant choke point for migrants traveling from South to North America.
Immigration is a hot topic leading up to the US presidential election, and earlier, the Biden administration also agreed to fund these repatriation flights.
The first group of 29 Colombians with criminal records was flown out on Tuesday.
An agreement between Panama’s foreign minister and US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas includes $6 million from theUS for equipment, transportation, and logistics to help Panama remove undocumented migrants.
The goal of the agreement with Panama is to reduce the number of migrants reaching the US border by addressing the issue further south.
Initially, the flights will return migrants to Colombia, where they entered Panama.
However, it is not yet known if further flights will be arranged to repatriate them to their home countries.
