The U.S. and Panama signed an agreement Monday that allows U.S. officials to help the Panamanian government expel migrants who cross the Darién Gap, a once-impenetrable jungle now a popular transit point for people traveling to the U.S. southern border.
Under the joint initiative, U.S. immigration officials will train and assist Panamanian authorities to help them expel more migrants heading north. In recent years, Panama has reported record numbers of border crossings through the roadless Darién Jungle, including more than half a million in 2023 alone.
The Department of Homeland Security will send officials with experience screening asylum claims and deporting migrants to Panama so they can assist their Panamanian counterparts on the ground. The U.S. will also help Panama build its deportation infrastructure, using funds from the State Department.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who attended the inauguration of Panama's President-elect José Raúl Mulino on Monday, said the agreement is part of “a regional response” to migration.
“As the United States continues to secure our borders and return unauthorized individuals, we are grateful for our partnership with Panama to help manage the historic scale of migration in the Western Hemisphere,” Mayorkas said in a statement.
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Mulino has vowed to take a tough stance against the arrival of migrants in Panama, wants to “close” the Darién Gap and accuses international aid workers of facilitating illegal migration.
The settlement between the two countries was months in the making. CBS News first reported about the Biden administration's plans to send U.S. immigration officials to Panama in November.
The move is the latest action by the Biden administration to halt illegal border crossings at the U.S. southern border. Last month, after President Biden moved to partially halt asylum processing using his executive order, illegal border crossings fell to the lowest level which were recorded during his term of office.
The agreement also underscores how much the US — under Democratic and Republican administrations — has become dependent on other countries to reduce the number of migrants crossing the southern border.
In recent months, Mexican officials have been conducting an aggressive operation to prevent migrants from reaching northern Mexico. Ecuador also recently imposed visa requirements on Chinese migrants, who have used the South American country as a lily pad to reach the U.S. border.
Camilo Montoya-Galvez
