Panama closes crossings used by migrants on the Colombian border

Photo: Martin Bernetti Agence France-Presse Migrants arrive at a migrant center in Lajas Blancas, in the jungle of Darien, Panama, June 28, 2024.

France Media Agency to Panama

Published yesterday at 8:23 a.m. Updated yesterday at 11:14 a.m.

• Americas

Panama confirmed on Wednesday that it was closing some border crossings used by migrants from Colombia in the Darien jungle, highlighting the risks to their safety in this inhospitable area where criminal groups operate.

Colombian authorities have criticized the closure of the crossings, saying it undermines the “fundamental rights” of migrants who pass through the dangerous forest on their way to the United States.

Panama's new president, José Raúl Mulino, has promised to close the Darièn crossing and repatriate illegal migrants under a July 1 deal with the United States, which will help finance the repatriations.

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“What we have tried to put in place, precisely to guarantee human rights and to protect lives, is a humanitarian passage” that migrants must take , declared Panamanian Minister of Public Security, Frank Abrego.

This “humanitarian passage” takes migrants to the area of ​​Lajas Blancas, Panama, “where they are taken care of by organizations such as the International Red Cross, the Panamanian Red Cross, UNICEF and others “, added the minister.

Closing illegal crossings allows Panamanian border police patrols to maintain security in the jungle, where criminal groups rob, violent and kill migrants, assured Mr. Abrego.

Last Friday, the Ombudsman of the People of Colombia, affirmed that the closure of three illegal border crossings ordered by the Panama was going to “increase the refoulement” of migrants in this inhospitable jungle.

Images broadcast by the Defender show dozens of people stuck in the mud and thick vegetation of the Colombian side of the border, opposite the barbed wire guarded by men in Panamanian uniforms.

“In the border area, there is no joint migration post between Panama and Colombia. Therefore, we do not have to consult the neighboring country to close these crossings,” Abrego said in an apparent response to these criticisms.

In 2023, more than 520,000 migrants have passed through the Panamanian jungle, facing dangerous rivers, wild animals and criminal groups. This year, some 200,000 of them, mostly Venezuelans, have already taken this route.

The agreement reached in July between Panama and the United States United plans a contribution of six million dollars from Washington to finance the repatriations of migrants.

The United States, where illegal immigration is a major theme of the presidential campaign, announced in June the sending to Darièn of a unit specialized in the fight against human trafficking.

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