Panama will take forceful measures to curb the wave of migration trying to reach the United States through the inhospitable Darien jungle on the border with Colombia, Panamanian authorities announced Wednesday, denouncing an alleged lack of international cooperation.
“The communication and management that Panama has tried to give (to migration) through international cooperation has fallen on deaf ears, there are southern countries that are not giving due responsibility to this issue,” Security Minister Juan Manuel Pino said at a press conference.
“Logically, Panama must make its domestic and external decisions” and in the coming days “it will be taking forceful measures and actions” to curb migration, Pino added without giving details.
According to official data, so far this year more than 307,000 people have crossed the Darien, a figure higher than the total for 2022, when 248,000 migrants made that journey.
This natural border, 266 km long and 575,000 hectares in area, has become a corridor for migrants who, from South America, are trying to reach the United States through Central America and Mexico.
They are mostly Venezuelans, but Ecuadorians and Haitians also stand out. Panamanian authorities, who have set up shelters along with international organizations, have also detected a growing number of Chinese citizens.
Foreigners cross the jungle despite it being plagued with dangers such as wild animals, raging rivers and criminal gangs. In addition, the United States has warned it will not allow entry into its territory for those who enter Panama irregularly.
On Wednesday, government representatives from 23 countries signed a joint statement acknowledging “the need to generate coordinated actions” to prevent “irregular migration” and prosecute human traffickers.
However, Panamanian authorities are calling for greater international involvement.
“It is a reality that overwhelms us (…), we already understand that we are alone in this issue,” lamented the director of Panama’s National Immigration Service, Samira Gozaine.
