Moderators Moderator_03 Posted March 24 Moderators Share Posted March 24 Quote Senafront Shot and Killed a Foreigner in the Darien Jungle Posted 23/03/2024 A confrontation with Senafront agents left one person dead in the Darién jungle. The National Border Service (Senafront) reported this Saturday March 23rd that a group of men clashed with agents from the Special Forces Brigade in the area of the Tupiza River, in the province of Darién. After the clashes with the Senafront, the death of one of the foreigners was reported. The foreigner may have been indigenous. Preliminary investigations indicate that these men belong to one of the criminal organizations that operate in the area. After the exchange of shots, two firearms were confiscated (a pistol and a revolver) and a citizen, whose nationality was not revealed, was arrested. “This case was placed at the disposal of the competent authority to continue with the corresponding procedures. Operation “Moisés 17” is being carried out in Darién, specifically at the headwaters of the Tupiza River in the Darién jungle. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/senafront-shot-and-killed-a-foreigner-in-the-darien-jungle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted March 25 Moderators Share Posted March 25 Quote 101,000 Migrants in 2024 Through the Darien Posted 24/03/2024 The Darién, the natural border between Panama and Colombia, has seen more than 101,000 migrants in 3 months, which is much higher than the same time frame last year. The majority of those who have crossed the jungle are Venezuelans (64,307), Ecuadorians (8,198), Haitians (6,661) Colombians (6,462) plus other nationalities. The increase in migrants through the Darién on their way to the United States or Canada in search of better living conditions has been increasing since 2021, reaching a record number of more than 520,000 in 2023, double that of the previous year and for this year, an increase of up to 20% is expected compared to last year. The natural dangers of the Darién and the presence of armed groups have made migrants look for other alternatives such as the Caribbean route, in which last February 5 migrants died after their boat with 27 passengers, most of them Afghans, capsized in the Panamanian Caribbean near the border with Colombia. Also in November 2023, Panamanian security forces rescued 11 Chinese migrants who had been abandoned on a boat in the Caribbean. Panama registers the migrants upon their arrival in the indigenous populations at the exit of the jungle or in the migratory reception centers (shelters) where they are given shelter and food, and then coordinates the departure by bus to Costa Rica, a trip that they must pay for themselves. However, Panamanian authorities believe that this is a “business” of organized crime that they have to deal with. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) suspended its medical and humanitarian care in the Darién as of March 4th by “order” of the Panamanian Government, which accused the NGO of sending “incomplete” reports. The Panamanian authorities indicated that MSF hindered the work of judicial and health institutions by refusing to provide the necessary information on migrants who were allegedly victims of sexual violence. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/101000-migrants-in-2024-through-the-darien Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted March 26 Moderators Share Posted March 26 Quote The Darien Gap, Migrants, and US Politicians Posted 25/03/2024 The Darien Gap: The United States, like Panama, will elect a president this year. US politicians as well as Panamanian politicians are using the migration crisis issue in their political campaigns. In both countries, this issue could be decisive in their respective electoral processes. Immigration is fueling US economic growth while politicians rage. While the rising number of immigrants in the US has sowed division among politicians across the country, and stoked angst among a swath of voters, there’s one place where almost everyone seems on the same, upbeat, page: Wall Street. Last month, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) calculated that immigration will generate a $7 trillion boost to gross domestic product over the next decade. The agency came to that conclusion after incorporating the recent surge in immigration. The CBO release spurred a flurry of fresh number-crunching among investment bank economists, to account for the boost those new comers are giving to the labor force and consumer spending. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. revised up its near-term economic growth forecasts Sunday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. and BNP Paribas SA were among banks that acknowledged the economic impact from surging immigration in recent weeks. “Immigration is not just a highly charged social and political issue, it is also a big macroeconomic one,” Janet Henry, global chief economist at HSBC Holdings, wrote in a note to clients. No advanced economy is benefiting from immigration quite like the US, and “the impact of migration has been an important part of the US growth story over the past two years.” Migrant encounters at the Mexico–U.S. border began to surge in late 2020, reaching a record number of 1.73 million migrant encounters in fiscal year 2021, 2.76 million in fiscal 2022, and more than 2.8 million in fiscal 2023. People immigrate to the US to work, reunite with family, study, or seek personal safety. The US government generally allows legal immigration for five broad reasons: work, school, family, safety, and encouraging diversity. People immigrating for work or school are often granted temporary entry rather than permanent residency. Immigration for family generally means the immigrant has a relative who is already in the US as a citizen, green card holder, or temporary visa holder with whom they want to be reunited with. Those who immigrate for safety are refugees or asylum-seekers. And finally, up to 50,000 immigrants obtain green cards annually through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program lottery that grants entry to individuals from countries with low rates of immigration to the US. Canada offers similar programs. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/the-darien-gap-migrants-and-us-politicians Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted April 1 Moderators Share Posted April 1 Quote Darien Jungle Crises is Worsening Posted 31/03/2024 This has become a political football, not only in Panama but the US as well with elections coming up in both countries. Panama takes migrants from the Darien on their way to the land of Milk and Honey (USA), puts them on buses to Costa Rica on their way through Central America towards Mexico. Mexico now has put a budget in place to hire busses and drivers to return the migrants to Panama. At the close of the first quarter of 2024, an unprecedented humanitarian drama has marked the jungle region known as the Darién Gap, with a 24% increase in the migratory flow compared to the same period in 2023. This natural corridor between Colombia and Panama has become a monumental challenge for those seeking a better life, facing extreme dangers and inhuman conditions on their journey. Reports from the National Immigration Service specify that with a figure that amounts to 108,167 people between January and March, this caravan of walkers has experienced a significant increase compared to the same period of the previous year, when the figure stood at 87,390 individuals. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/darien-jungle-crises-is-worsening Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted April 7 Moderators Share Posted April 7 Quote Migrants with Drugs on a Bus Posted 06/04/2024 Seven packages of drugs were seized on a bus transporting migrants to Costa Rica from the Darien. During a routine verification at the Comprehensive Security and Interdiction Post against Drug Trafficking in the community of Agua Fría, province of Darién, seven packages with illicit substances were located hidden in the bus. According to Deputy Commissioner Kenneth Rodrígez, of the National Border Service (Senafront), a canine unit, trained in the detection of illicit substances, issued an alert, which is why the vehicle was searched. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/migrants-with-drugs-on-a-bus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted April 9 Moderators Share Posted April 9 Quote Human Rights Watch Report of the Darién Rejected Posted 08/04/2024 The migration and security authorities of Panama on March 8 “categorically” rejected the report published by Human Rights Watch, which indicates that in Colombia and Panama the authorities do not effectively protect the right to life and physical integrity of migrants and applicants of asylum in transit, nor do immigration authorities investigate violations of their rights effectively and quickly. Samira Gozaine, director of the National Immigration Service, assured that this report does not reflect the reality of what is happening in the Darién. The official added that of the more than 900,000 people that have passed through the Darién jungle in these five years, there are more than 17 institutions and NGOs that have never heard the stories of what is said in the report. They stressed that this report has more aspects of being an ideological report than the objective reality of what is happening in the Darién, since it does not include the rights of adolescents abandoned by their parents in the jungle. In those 130 pages there has not been a single line dedicated to these children. There is also no mention of the fire in the modular buildings where 30 immigration officials and 17 from the National Border Service (Senafront) may have lost their lives. According to Human Rights Watch, in some specific cases, Panamanian security forces appear to have committed abuses against migrants and asylum seekers. In fact, it states that these crimes in the Darien Gap, including recurring cases of sexual violence, are typically not investigated or punished. The director of Senafront, Jorge Luis Gobea, indicated that more than 200 people accused of robbery, rape and human trafficking in the Darién and Guna Yala have been placed under arrest. Among the causes of death with the highest incidence on irregular migratory routes are deaths due to drowning, stroke, heart attack and homicide. From January to date, more than 114 thousand migrants have passed through the Darién jungle, 20% are minors. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/human-rights-watch-report-of-the-darien-rejected-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted April 15 Moderators Share Posted April 15 Quote Panamanian Authorities Have Not Agreed to Meet With Human Right Watch Posted 14/04/2024 During an interview on Panama TV, Juan Pappier, deputy director for the Americas division of Human Right Watch, gave more details about the report that the organization published a few weeks ago on the cases of sexual abuse and robberies that occur towards migrants who cross the jungle of the Darien. Data from the National Immigration Service indicate that from January to date, more than 114,000 migrants have passed through the Darién jungle, 20% of whom are minors. Human Right Watch has let it be known that Panamanian authorities have not agreed to meet with the organization. According to Pappier, the turning point was the year 2021, when 130 thousand migrants crossed the Darién Gap, then 250 thousand in 2022, half a million migrants in 2023 and this year, between January and March more than 110 thousand migrants and asylum seekers, which represents an increase of 25% compared to the same months in 2023. This report was the result of two years of investigation, different trips to the borders, both on the Panamanian side and the Colombian side, and interviews with local officials, doctors in the area and humanitarian organizations. Pappier pointed out that the report seeks to show the shortcomings of Panama and Colombia regarding migration and provide solutions at the same time. Especially the cases of women who have been sexually abused during their journey through the Darién. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panamanian-authorities-have-not-agreed-to-meet-with-human-right-watch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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