In early July, the Biden Administration announced to great fanfare that it had reached agreement with the government of Panama on US assistance in shutting down a major migrant smuggling route.
But according to a new analysis published yesterday by Todd Bensman of the Center for Immigration Studies, implementation of the agreement appears stalled as a result of “tepid” support from Washington, which included crippling limitations on Panama’s use of US-provided planes to repatriate migrants to their home countries.
Since 2021, an estimated 1.5 million foreign nationals from around the world have traveled through the Darien Gap, a roadless 70-mile jungle connecting Colombia and Panama en route to the United States. Per the agreement, the State Department said July 1, the United States would work to help Panama with removal flights to repatriate people who enter that country illegally.
“By returning such individuals to their country of origin, we will help deter illegal migration in the region and at our southern border, and halt the enrichment of malign smuggling networks that prey on vulnerable migrants,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson added.
A key factor behind the July 1 announcement was the election of new Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino, who assumed office that day.vowing to close the Darien Gap. Panamanian officials sought U.S. aid for relocation flights to counter a new wave of Venezuelan migrants looking to cross through Panama on their way to the United States.
Mulino has sought to dramatically increase the number of flights to expel the illegal Venezuelans back to Colombia, where a leftist government has facilitated the US-bound migration. But Panamanian officials have complained that Washington has only offered a mere $6 million for the relocation flights –a tiny fraction of the amount necessary to do the job,
Ironically, Biden Administration policies have exacerbated the migrant problem – working with previous Panamanian governments to make it easier for US-bound migrants to cross through Panama. These steps included dispatching Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in 2022 to pressure Panama to open a shorter sea route for migrants, to build larger hospitality rest camps, Bensman writes, as well making it easier for dozens of nonprofit advocacy groups to assist migrants.
Unsurprisingly, this approach encouraged hundreds of thousands of additional people to make the harrowing journey to the United States.All of this is supposedly being done in order to “ help” poor suffering migrants seeking a better life..
The premise is belied by scores of harrowing reports from humanitarian groups like Doctors Without Borders and media outlets like the New York Times. A lengthy piece in the April 4, 2024 New York Times included interviews with more than 70 people who said they had been victims of assault armed robbery and sexual violence while traversing the Darien Gap.
