Panama's new president, José Raúl Mulino, has made of cracking down on immigration through the country a top priority since taking office on July 1. Among the different measures was the setting up of barbed wire along stretches of the Darien Gap, a treacherous jungle path connecting the country with Colombia and used by hundreds of thousands of migrants as they travel north of the continent.
At least five passages have been shut by the use of wire, and Panamanian authorities have began patrolling areas in the Caribbean and Pacific ocean. The force said it has been instructed to stop and detain people traveling with "irregular migrants" and hand them over to Colombian authorities.
As for the land paths, officials said they seek to "channel" the flow of people so as to have better control of the routes, many of them operated by human smuggling networks.
Panama's border service (Senafront) said that "the previous control had security forces in multiple points, which made it more difficult to fight against international criminal organizations benefiting from trafficking people, unlawful charges and other crimes connected to these vulnerable people."
Now, they added, "by concentrating efforts in a single path we are exponentially strengthening patrols, as well as multi-front security related to migrants."
The Colombian ombudsman, in turn, has called for the government to urge its Panamanian counterpart to "be aware of international law regarding refugees." "Closing paths in the Darien Gap will increase the a amount of migrants in Colombia's border cities," the agency said, adding that border communities who regularly use the path for commercial and cultural exchange purposes have also been affected.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, on his end, said on his X profile that "barbed wire in the jungle will only create drowned people at the sea. Migration is stemmed by removing economic blockages and improving the south's economy."
The change of policy comes shortly after the country's new president, José Raúl Mulino, took office. Mulino has vowed to shut down the Darien Gap and proposed conducting deportation flights as long as the United States finances them.
The countries recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in which the U.S. administration committed to covering the repatriation costs. The agreement was signed by Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
The agreement includes U.S. support for Panama with equipment, transportation, and logistics for foreigners detected within migratory flows that violate Panamanian immigration laws. These individuals will be subject to administrative measures in accordance with Panamanian law.
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson affirmed that the Biden administration would "support Panama's efforts to initiate the rapid, safe, and humane repatriation of migrants who lack a legal basis to remain in Panama."
Panamanian officials say about 1,200 undocumented migrants are beginning the Darien Gap crossing every day. A record 520,000 people made the crossing last year, about 120,000 of them children.
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