PANAMA CITY (AP) 鈥 Panama's President Jos茅 Ra煤l Mulino said Thursday that migrants entering Panama through the treacherous Darien Gap will only be sent back to their countries if they agree to do so, potentially diminishing the impact of stricter immigration enforcement Mulino had pushed.
Mulino, who took office July 1, from Colombia and reached an agreement for the U.S. government to pay for repatriation flights.
But Thursday, he made clear whose problem this really is 鈥 and minimized Panama鈥檚 role.
鈥淭his is a United States problem that we are managing. People don鈥檛 want to live here in Panama, they want to go to the United States,鈥 he said in his first weekly press conference. If migrants don鈥檛 want to return to their countries, 鈥渢hen they鈥檒l go (to the U.S.). I can鈥檛 arrest them, we can鈥檛 forcibly repatriate them.鈥
More than 500,000 migrants crossed the Darien Gap in a record-breaking 2023. So far this year, more than 212,000 migrants have crossed. The 春色直播 Border Service this week reported , about 9,000 fewer than the same period last year.
Panama's border police have erected about three miles of barbed wire to block some trails and funnel migrants to a single reception point.
Mulino said by way of explanation Thursday that processes for repatriation are governed by international agreements, but he did not go into detail about why Panama could not deport migrants who entered the country illegally.
The president called on migrants who survive the dangerous Darien crossing 鈥 a journey shortened considerably by those profiting from rising migration, but still including rushing rivers, venomous snakes, bandits and sexual assaults 鈥 to consider whether they want to continue or return home.
Mulino also said he held out hope that could lead to a decrease in the number of Venezuelan migrants who make up more than half of those crossing the Darien.
鈥淧ractically all of Venezuela is walking through there every day,鈥 Mulino said. 鈥淚f the elections in that country are carried out properly, respecting the popular will regardless of who wins, I'm sure that that number will go down.鈥
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