Panama sends off 29 Colombian expatriates through the initial US-backed repatriation airplane journey.
Thirty-three Colombians were transferred from Panama City to Medellín, Colombia, as stated by Panama's Deputy Minister of Security, Luis Felipe Icaza.
The individuals were detained before boarding the flight, their wrists and ankles secured with handcuffs, under the watchful eye of Panama's immigration officials. Icaza claimed that one of the individuals was affiliated with the Clan del Golfo criminal group.
The relocation of these individuals was made possible following the signing of a cooperation agreement between the US and Panama on July 1, aimed at reducing the number of unauthorized immigrants traversing Panama en route to the US.
In July last month, Panama installed barbed wire barriers across several routes in the Darién jungle, a hazardous tract lying between Panama and Colombia, with the intention of impeding the northbound migration flow.
As of the current year, over 230,000 individuals have crossed into Panama through the Darién jungle from Colombia. Over 8,000 individuals have cleared this route in August alone. These statistics indicate a decrease of approximately 30% compared to the same period from January to August 2023, according to Roger Mojica, director of Panama's immigration agency.
Currently, Panama is solely orchestrating deportation flights to Colombia. Mojica revealed that Panama is also in the process of orchestrating flights to countries like Ecuador and India, but not to Venezuela – a nation grappling with economic collapse and authoritarian leadership, which has seen more people leave than any other nation in the region.
The cooperation agreement between the US and Panama has broader implications, as it not only aims to reduce unauthorized immigrants heading to the US from the Americas, but also the world at large.
Despite Panama's effort to control migration, there are still significant numbers of people attempting to cross the Darién jungle, demonstrating the complex global issue of migrant movement.
