[Illegal] Migration at the Panama-Colombia Border

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281,399 migrants cross Darien jungle so far this year

 Posted 14/08/2023

As of 7:50 am Sunday, August 13, 281,399 irregular migrants crossed the Darién jungle reports the National Migration Service.

In 225 days of 2023, Panama registers a daily average of 1,250 travelers who enter through the Darien Gap, coming from Colombia. However, the data for Saturday, August 12, listed the entry of 2,473 migrants.

In recent weeks the flow of irregular migrants through Panamanian territory has increased and statistics project that probably before the end of August it will exceed 300,000 travelers.

So far in August, the passage of 29,641 migrants has been reported; Of that number, 22,468 are Venezuelan citizens. As of Saturday, 161,062 Venezuelans have crossed the inhospitable Darien jungle this year.

This year, the month that registers the highest number of irregular migrants in the country is July with 55,387.

The National Migration Service records that there are about 7,000 migrants in Panama; 4,753 are in the reception centers located in Darién and the rest in the Los Planes de Gualaca shelter (Chiriquí).

The main objective of the majority of irregular migrants is to reach North America and as part of the daily controlled flow they continue on their way across the border with Costa Rica.

Panamanian authorities have reiterated that the Darién Gap is not a regular passage for travelers and asks that they give up this idea because it may be at the expense of human traffickers.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/281399-migrants-cross-darien-jungle-so-far-this-year

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445% increase of children crossing the Darién jungle

Posted 16/08/2023

The Colombian Ombudsman's Office warned  Tuesday, August 15, of a 445% increase in the migration of children and adolescents through the Darién region in the first half of this year, when more than 40,000 minors crossed compared to the 7,000 who crossed in the same period of the previous year.

In the first six months of 2023, "the number of migrants crossing the border with Panama through the Darién region increased exponentially," facing serious risks of rights violations, according to the Ombudsman's Office.

Between January and June, 196,371 migrants (Venezuelan, Haitian, Ecuadorian, Chinese, and Indian, mainly) susceptible to refugee status and in need of international protection crossed the border between Colombia and Panama. The figure is 287% higher than that of the same period last year, when 49,452 people did so, according to the Ombudsman.

Increased risk 
Between January and June, 40,171 minors migrated through this dangerous jungle, while in the same period of 2022, 7,369 crossed it, to which is added a “more worrying” figure, children migrating without their families, which generates a greater condition of vulnerability, This concern extends to the possibility that minors are victims of "different forms of violence, including sexual violence, as well as theft, human trafficking and migrant smuggling, and discrimination. “Violence that is carried out by the illegal structures that commit crimes in these irregular places of transit," said the Colombian Ombudsman, Carlos Camargo. asked the Government of Colombia,  to increase attention in transit zones and verification of the rights of minors.

The figures disclosed by Camargo are taken from the National Border Service (Senafront) of Panama, since in Colombia there are no official records that allow establishing the number of migrants that cross Darién and the conditions in which they do so.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/445-increase-of-children-crossing-the-darien-jungle

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Border Service rescues  40 Chinese migrants abandoned by coyotes

 Posted 18/08/2023

Panama’s National Border Service (Senafront) rescued more than 40 Chinese migrants including minors, abandoned by coyotes(trafficers) in the communities of Guayabo and Cocalito. They were transferred to receive medical attention.

Between January and June, 196,371 migrants (Venezuelan, Haitian, Ecuadorian, Chinese, and Indian, mainly of refugee status and in need of international protection crossed the border between Colombia and Panama. The figure is 287% higher than that of the same period last year, when 49,452 people did so, according to the Ombudsman.

The Colombian Ombudsman's Office has already warned of a 445% increase in the migration of children and adolescents through the Darién region in the first half of the year when more than 40,000 minors crossed compared to the 7,000 who crossed in the same period of the previous year.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/border-service-rescues-40-chinese-migrants-abandoned-by-coyotes

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Border Service rescues 78 migrants and grabs 5 coyotes

 Posted 19/08/2023

The Special Boat Battalion of the National Border Service (Senafront) managed to rescue 39 migrants (29 of Chinese nationality and 10 Venezuelans) who were transported in a gray boat of approximately 36 feet, in the company of a citizen of Colombian nationality,  an alleged coyote. This operation took place within the framework of the Escudo, Chocó operation, in the township of Tubualá near the community of Caledonia.

While in the sector of La Moneda and Quebrada Honda, in the province of Darién, the rescue of 39 migrants is carried out, including five minors (32 Chinese, 3 Bangladeshi, 2 Nepali, and 2 Pakistani).

The migrants were transported in four pick-up vehicles, driven by four Panamanian citizens, presumed coyotes. Once the rescue of these migrants occurred, they were taken to provide medical attention.

The alleged coyotes were placed under the orders of the competent authorities.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/border-service-rescues-78-migrants-and-grabs-5-coyotes

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Panama launches media campaign to deter migrants

Posted 25/08/2023

“Darién is not a route, it’s a jungle”. says a Panama Government campaign launched this week in the face of the irregular migration crisis that until Wednesday, August 23, had seen the passage of 308,000.

"Despite all the efforts, the meetings with the countries involved have not been able to achieve a stop to the situation, said the Minister of Public Security, Juan Manuel Pino, who explained that currently between 2,500 and 3000 enter daily “It is a situation that has surpassed us,” he commented.

Pino  said  that more than $ 60 million has been allocated to the attention of all those people who enter irregularly.

The director of the National Migration Service, Samira Gozaine, explained that in 2016 the passage of 25,407 irregular migrants was reported. “For this year, more than 308,000 people have already been displaced through Darién with a projection that could reach half a million”.

Panama is a transit country for the exodus that has received and offered medical and food services this year to more than 300,000 migrants heading to the United States.

The migratory flow travels through Darién, at the mercy of the rigors of the wild environment and also criminal groups that commit assaults and rapes.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama-launches-media-campaign-to-deter-migrants

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Four injured in  third migrant  bus accident

Posted 30/08/2023

A bus carrying 52 migrants from Darien to the province of Chiriquí suffered an accident injuring four passengers on Wednesday morning August 30  near the entrance to Ocú, Herrera.

Personnel from the Panama Fire Department, from the Herrera and Veraguas stations, responded to the emergency, and the injured were transferred to a medical center in Santiago. The rest of the migrants continued their journey on another bus.

“The call was received around 6 in the morning, that a bus on the Santiago-Panama route had overturned at the height of the bridge over the Conaca river,” said the Herrera Fire Department. It was reported that minors were also traveling on the bus.

Currently, Panama registers an increase in the flow of irregular migrants who arrive in the country after crossing the Darién jungle. These people are progressively transferred by bus to the province of Chiriquí so that they can then continue on their way to the north of the continent.

This was the third incident involving migrant buses. In February a bus carrying migrants had an accident in Gualaca, Chiriquí, with a death toll of 39 people.

Information in development

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/four-injured-in-third-migrant-bus-accident

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UN concerned at vulnerability of migrants crossing Darien Gap

Posted 07/09/2023

“We are very concerned about the risk faced and vulnerability in which an unprecedented number of migrants and refugees find themselves as they cross the Darien Gap said a statement by Marta Hurtado, spokeswoman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

According to Hurtado, migrants and refugees are exposed to multiple human rights violations and abuses during their journey, including sexual violence, which poses a particular risk to children, women, LGBTIQ+ people, and people with disabilities "Migrants walk an average of between four and seven days in of the dry months, although this figure increases to ten during the nine months that the rainy season lasts," Hurtado said.

According to the organization, despite the efforts of the Panamanian authorities to set up several reception centers, the high migratory flow has made it impossible for migrants to receive the attention they require when they arrive at the Isthmus.

According to the spokesperson, humanitarian assistance in both Panama and Costa Rica continues to be limited in dealing with the situation, something that "worsens precarious living conditions" and increases people's vulnerability.

For the UN Human Rights office, it is a process that needs help in several areas, since the factors that force people to leave their homes and undertake these trips for a more dignified and secure life must be restructured.

“Addressing migration challenges requires collective efforts and solutions at the regional and international level,” the spokesperson stressed.

So far this year, more than 330,000 people have already crossed this 575,000-hectare region between Colombia and Panama, the highest annual figure recorded to date, compared to the 248,000 people who did so in 2022, according to data. of the National Immigration Service.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/un-concerned-at-vulnerability-of-migrants-crossing-darien-gap

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“Darién is not a route and cannot be” - Chancellor

Posted 17/09/2023

Panama asked the G77+China summit in Havana for greater “coordination” to execute “effective and realistic migration policies” that guarantee the human rights of the hundreds of thousands of people who cross the Darien jungle.

Panamanian Foreign Minister Janaina Tewaney asked the delegations that their governments also address “the causes” - such as violence and climate change - that lead to “irregular”, “disorganized” and “uncoordinated” migration.

“The result of this humanitarian crisis is mainly human suffering and should not be ignored (...) For Panama, the effects of this crisis are seen daily in our Darién National Park, bordering Colombia, a dense jungle where we find every day migrants who die on their dangerous journey,” she warned.

“Darién is not a route and it cannot be,” the chancellor said.

According to Tewaney, this year alone Panama expects between 400,000 and 500,000 people to cross the plug on their way to the United States and that, so far this year, the country has received four times more migrants than in a five-year period.

At the beginning of the month, Panama announced a package of measures to confront the migration crisis in Darién, such as increasing deportations and moving the checkpoints where travelers arrive.

The G77+China summit in Havana has brought together presidents such as the Argentine Alberto Fernández and the Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro, as well as the Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres.

The event represents, according to many experts, a diplomatic success for Havana.

The G77+China is the largest dialogue and consultation group within the United Nations. It currently has 134 members, mainly from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/darien-is-not-a-route-and-cannot-be-chancellor

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Cortizo calls on UN to assume irregular migration problem

Posted 20/09/2023

President Laurentino Cortizo called on the international community, during his  address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, September 19 to assume “in all its magnitude” the problem of irregular migration.

“I reiterate: this is an unsustainable situation, a situation in which we are victims and not responsible,” added the president .

He emphasized that Panama is making a “titanic effort” by allocating economic resources to provide solidarity with the irregular migrants who cross the Darién jungle and whose number increases every year. Most head to the United States.

“This is an unsustainable, unwanted, inhumane situation… a humanitarian drama of pain, suffering, and death for hundreds of thousands of migrants who undertake the risky journey,” he added.

According to data from the National Immigration Service, this year 370,421 irregular migrants have already arrived in the country from Colombia, a record number, with 62.2% being Venezuelan citizens. In all of 2022, 248 thousand people crossed.

He believed that the countries of the region should have, among their priorities, providing opportunities for a decent life for their population. “This way they would not be forced to leave their country, emigrating irregularly, exposing themselves to the violation of their human rights and, on many occasions, losing their lives,” he said.

“In that sense, the problem of irregular migration must be addressed at a multilateral level, emphasizing respect for human rights and under the principles of solidarity and shared responsibility, with the purpose of safeguarding the integrity of human life in a safe and orderly manner,” he added.

CLIMATE CHANGE
Cortizo also referred to climate change. He said that in Panama a carbon footprint reduction program was established with a national strategy for green hydrogen and derivatives.

In addition, they have imposed an “ambitious energy transition agenda with the purpose of finding and developing accessible non-polluting energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 24% by 2050.

Panama, Cortizo assured, is among the 15 countries in the world most exposed to climatic and natural risks.

“In fact, we have already registered in our territory the first case of climate displacement when the population of Cartí Sugdup Island had to relocate, due to the rise in sea level,” he added.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/cortizo-calls-on-un-to-assume-irregular-migration-problem

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Darién kids abandon school to earn money from migrants

Posted 22/09/2023

The crisis that Darién is experiencing due to the uncontrolled arrival of migrants through the jungle is causing other problems such as the abandonment of schools by children who prefer work carrying suitcases or as guides, in addition to the abandonment of the countryside, because people are no longer planting and are dedicated to working for migrants who enter the country irregularly.

The Bajo Chiquito school has been closed for several days because the students are not attending and we have alerted this and spoken with the area authorities," said Panama’s Ombudsman Eduardo Leblanc.

The Ombudsman said that the situation has been discussed with the authorities of the area and the villagers because it is worrying. He added that they are trying to raise awareness about these issues because the migration crisis will not last forever, and when it ends, there will be a social problem.

President Cortizo made a call to the United Nations to state that Panama can no longer stand being alone, stopping the migratory wave that in 2022, led more than half a million people passing through the Darién jungle; A figure that this year already totals 389,000.

Eduardo Leblanc, Ombudsman, recognized that 2023 was a record year. August was the month that recorded the most migrant entries in the last three years and this has overwhelmed the capacities of all institutions.

The defender said there are alleged foundations in Colombia, among them Funda Darién, which is not registered in Panama, which allegedly promotes income of approximately $300.

Regarding the transportation of canoes, Leblanc recalled that this income is being collected by the residents of Bajo Chiquito, and all the original regions of the area, as well as the transportation in Darién provided by the Transporters' Cooperative of the province.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/darien-kids-abandon-school-to-earn-money-from-migrants

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Leaders of Panama and Costa Rica to discuss migration

 Posted 30/09/2023

The irregular migration that affects Panama and Costa Rica is the central issue that will be addressed in a meeting held next week by the leaders of these two Central American countries.

The Presidency of Costa Rica reported that President Rodrigo Chaves will arrive in Panama on Thursday, October 5. The next day Chaves is scheduled to travel with Panamanian Laurentino Cortizo to Darién, Panama's border with Colombia, the gateway for thousands of migrants, especially from Venezuela. On October 6, the leaders will give a joint conference in Metetí.

Cortizo has said that there are coincidences with his Costa Rican counterpart when referring to the fact that there must be an orderly and safe flow of migrants. “The issue of regulation is very important to know what type of people are going through the Darién jungle. Panama is returning some people to their countries of origin on a weekly basis, but it is an issue that has to be worked on multilaterally,” Cortizo said, Friday, in a meeting with journalists.

This week it was announced that the number of irregular migrants who have crossed the Darién jungle in 2023 exceeds 400,000.

The vast majority of migrants are South American: Venezuelans (more than 252,000), Ecuadorians (48,000), and Colombians (13,404).

This led the president of Costa Rica to sign an executive decree on Friday declaring the migratory crisis a National Emergency, which allows the National Emergency Commission to take a series of administrative, operational and measures to address the situation.

Petro’s view 

On September 19, within the framework of UN General Assembly, Cortizo met with the Colombian president Gustavo Petro. The Colombian president said that he did not agree with Panama in placing a series of checkpoints throughout the dense Darien jungle, because it would be ineffective. “We agreed to focus on how to humanize. “Panama talks about ordering, we talk about humanizing and ensuring that people do not die,” said the Colombian president.

Petro believes that the solution to this crisis would be to “economically unblock Venezuela,” alluding to the sanctions imposed by the United States government on the Nicolás Maduro regime.

A recent report by the Migration Policy Institute – an independent research and analysis center based in Washington, DC, details that between 2016 and 2022, 7.4 million people have been displaced from Venezuela, almost a quarter of the entire population of the country.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/leaders-of-panama-and-costa-rica-to-discuss-migration

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Costa Rica and Panama presidents survey migrant hell from the air

Posted 06/10/2023

After a helicopter tour of the Darién Gap evaluating the situation of the irregular migratory flow through the region, the presidents of Panama, Laurentino Cortizo, and Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves issued an urgent call to the nations of origin, transit and destination.

The invitation to collaborate is for cooperating countries and international organizations, to confront the crisis in a programmatic manner addressing the causes of migration.

“Crossing the Darién is hell,” said Cortizo, who highlighted that both countries, which are transit countries, have managed the irregular migratory flow correctly.

For his part, Chaves invited the government of Colombia, a previous step before entering the jungle, to help pre-classify those who have the option of being welcomed in the United States.

“We would love  Colombia, which is the entry bridge, to join this effort. Help us. Once we know who is going to have some degree of success in entering the United States, according to the immigration regulations of that country, it will help us preselect the people who come or not,” said Chaves.

The Costa Rican president said that joint political decisions have to be made from Canada to Ecuador . “If we don't do it this way, we will continue to see disorder and chaos.”

The latest report from the Panamanian authorities highlights that in 2023 at least 415,000 irregular migrants have crossed through the Darién jungle, most of them Venezuelans.

Buses mobilization
The agreement reached by both presidents is the mobilization of 200 buses that will be accredited by both countries and will pass directly, without stopping in Paso Canoas,  from Monday, October 9 in order to improve the migratory flow on the border of both countries.

After a call made by the two Central American countries for a regional meeting to address the crisis, Mexico's suggestion to hold it on October 22 was supported.

“It is such a big problem that the participation of all links in the chain is required. We seek to achieve the most orderly migratory flow possible in this meeting,” said Cortizo.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/costa-rica-and-panama-presidents-survey-migrant-hell-from-the-air

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Panama responds to Human Rights Watch migrants report

Posted 11/11/2023

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted Friday to a 62-page Human Rights Watch (HRW) report: This Hell Was My OnlyOption': Abuses Against Migrants and Asylum Seekers Pushed to Cross the Darién Gap."A Ministry statement said that, as part of its commitment to the health, safety, and humanitarian treatment of migrants; Panama has worked and continues to work constantly in its inter-institutional capacities and together with regional and global partners to prioritize a humanitarian approach to the human drama experienced in the province of Darién.

“It is estimated that no less than 15% of the population in the national territory is a migrant population. For this reason, our country cannot agree to international pressures that force us to absorb massive irregular migrants in a disorderly manner and to the detriment of nationals and resident foreigners. For a long time, we have articulated our limited resources to provide irregular migrants with the humanitarian care they need, including access to food, water, medical assistance, and justice, among others”

According to the Ministry 248,284 irregular arrivals were received in 2022, the highest number of irregular migrants in a single year since 2009, all through Darién. In 2023, this figure has increased to more than 465,000 so far this year and continues to increase every day.

“Our country has raised its voice in all international spheres, expressing the need for shared responsibility and immediate action, not only from the countries involved but also from international organizations and non-governmental organizations. We have made internationally visible the need to receive support to combat transnational and common organized crime that exploits the humanity of these irregular migrants and that requires coordination with other States for it to be effective. This commitment has been demonstrated with facts, through operational results and judicial convictions, especially in the region bordering Colombia, where we see an increase of 67% in the last 3 years,” they highlighted.

SEXUAL VIOLENCE
The Ministry regretted that the Human Rights Watch report "does not reflect the humanitarian efforts of the Government of Panama and that it does not even encourage non-governmental organizations and other actors to comply with Panamanian standards to achieve adequate attention of the migrant population, especially when reference is made to crimes related to sexual violence and the obligation that Panamanian laws establish to inform the competent authorities immediately of facts that could be considered crimes. "

The entity also regretted that, although the report refers to organized crime networks that operate outside the limits of the Republic of Panama and that articulate the informal and dangerous routes of irregular migration, it goes out of its way to make accusations against Panama.

"In the same document, it is stated that these networks obtain millions of dollars annually illicitly that serve as financing for their own illicit companies. On the contrary, the report and the statements made in the subsequent press conference highlight the sophisticated organization that they carry out. Panama developed the 'Operation Light of Hope' initiative with the specific objective of protecting minors who are at the greatest risk of trafficking for sexual exploitation. We consider that this and other elements that were timely provided to HRW deserve attention objective when making accusations against a country that carries out humanitarian work like that carried out by Panama, compared to what very few countries do at the regional level," said the Ministry.

They added that claiming that Panama should give asylum to irregular migrants is giving validation to a route that, for geographical reasons, makes such care impossible and that Panama has insisted that “Darién is not a route, it is a jungle” and has even turned it into an international communication campaign, extending the invitation to all countries of origin, transit, and destination to join, as well as international organizations.

"We also extend the invitation to HRW. It is interesting to see that until now an organization like HRW postulates that Darién is a dense jungle, but also contradicts it in a report by indicating that Panama should recognize that area as a regular route. The report also does not "account that many of the migrants have traveled from third countries, an issue that contradicts the recommendation of migratory reception or through international protection mechanisms in other countries in the region."

They explained that as a cooperating country, and at the same time a member of the international community, they are interested in making their concrete and proactive actions known.

"The accountability of all the actors involved is essential for organizations like HRW to carry out their work in a more efficient way, and thus everyone can contribute to alleviating the pain, which today more than ever has a human face. Panama will continue adapting strategies to support the safety of migrants undertaking the dangerous journey through Darién National Park. We will continue to prioritize an approach focused on coordination, communication, and crime prevention with partners both regionally and internationally to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of a vulnerable population of migrants, and we appreciate the support of both governments and multilateral organizations in this effort of great priority for our country .”

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama-responds-to-human-rights-watch-migrants-report

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Migrant smuggling network dismantled by INTERPOL

One of those detained by the Colombian Police

Posted 18/12/2023

INTERPOL COLOMBIA has dismantled a criminal network dedicated to the trafficking of migrants through the Panamanian jungle.

The group guided citizens from countries such as Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, China, Somalia, India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, to cross the Darien Gap and charged up to $4,500 to transport 294 people, including nine minors.

The logistics that the group used to achieve its objective were well set up: on Colombian soil, the migrants were taken by land from the borders with Ecuador, Venezuela, and Brazil, until they reached Necoclí, a town in Urabá Antioquia, which has become famous internationally, because of its relevance in migratory flows to the United States. There they were left in the hands of others to take them through winding trails of the Darien jungle.

They mobilized their clients in tourism service vehicles, to facilitate irregular transit in Colombian territory, until reaching the border with Panama. They made up to four trips a week.

The leader of the network Carlos Alberto Coy García, was captured in Ipiales, in the Nariño department, on the border with Ecuador.

Last September, the position of Colombian President Gustavo Petro generated controversy and debate, because while Panama and Costa Rica are committed to managing migratory flows, Colombia spoke of “freedom of movement.” Petro is of the thesis that countries should not have visas, because for him the most important thing is to solve the cause of migration.

According to statistics from the National Immigration Service, between January and December 14, 508,288 people crossed the Darién Gap. On Panamanian soil, they are welcomed in some of the four shelters in Darién: San Vicente, Canaán Membrillo, Bajo Chiquito, and Lajas Blancas.

This Monday, December 18, International Migrants Day is commemorated. Regarding the date, the United Nations raised the “urgent need” for the international community to provide people-centered and evidence-based solutions so that people can remain in their communities, and for those who wish or must move.

Pope Francis, lamented the situation of the thousands of immigrants who cross the dangerous Darien jungle between Colombia and Panama, and He called for “a humanitarian response” to “avoid this tragic reality”, on Sunday.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/migrant-smuggling-network-dismantled-by-interpol-1

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Panama deported 687 foreigners during the year

 Posted 24/12/2023

As the end of the year approaches the National Immigration Service has announced that in 2023 it deported 687 foreigners, of various nationalities, through methodologies such as charter flights.

In the last deportation, carried out on December 23, 27 people were deported and another three expelled, due to the crimes of aggravated robbery, crimes against the freedom and sexual integrity of a minor, and actions of illicit migrant trafficking.

Throughout the year, various deportation and expulsion operations of migrants have been carried out, as a result of operations such as Operation Oasis, which in September of this year ended with a clandestine prostitution network made up of 12 foreign women, who operated in Penonomé.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama-deported-687-foreigners-during-the-year

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2023 final deportation of foreigners

 Posted 30/12/2023

Panama deports and expels more than 700 foreigners in this year 2023

In the year 2023, Panama applied expulsion and deportation measures to 702 foreigners of different nationalities.

The National Immigration Service (SNM), announced this Friday, December 29, that flight number 25, was the last of the year 2023; it took place from the Panama Pacifico International Airport, with 11 people of Colombian nationality being deported and another, from the same origin, who was expelled.

According to the SNM, each of these 702 foreigners had their rights respected under national law. "They were subjected to the corresponding process for the benefit of the security of the country and the region, with the majority coming from the migratory flow that enters from Colombia; however, they did not meet the requirements for transit through our country". 

Panama closed this year 2023, with the passage of more than 517 thousand people through the Darién jungle, in their attempt to reach the United States.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/2023-final-deportation-of-foreigners

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Over 15,000 irregular  migrants cross Darien Gap in 19 days

 Posted 21/01/2024

In the first 19 days of the year, some 15,000 irregular migrants crossed the Darién Gap coming from Colombia —a daily average of 835 

In 2023, Panama registered a record number of 520,805.

Figures from the National Immigration Service, as of Friday, January 19 show that 15,872 travelers had arrived at the immigration reception centers.

In January 2022, 4,702 migrants entered the country by land from Colombia, while in the same month of 2023, the figure rose to 24,634.

According to the report, on Friday, January 19, in the Darién shelters, there were 2,378 migrants, of which 519 were minors.

While Panama continues to coordinate efforts with neighboring countries such as Colombia and Costa Rica to control the migratory flow, the numbers reflect that Venezuelan citizens are the most making the dangerous journey.

Until Friday, 8,158 Venezuelan citizens had entered the country that is, more than half of the total. Haitians follow with 1,758 irregular travelers, Chinese 1,727 and Ecuadorians 1,031.

The governments of Panama and Colombia have a pending meeting to outline actions to prevent irregular migrants from becoming victims of organized crime.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/over-15000-irregular-migrants-cross-darien-gap-in-19-days

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At least 676 sexual assaults on Darien Gap migrants last year

Doctors Without Borders treated 676  survivors of sexual violence in the Darien Gap - the inhospitable jungle between Panama - and Colombia last year.

December, paradoxically, marked a high point in cases of sexual violence, despite being one of the months with the lowest flow of migrants.

The NGO stated that in December, on average, one act of sexual violence occurred every three and a half hours in the Darién jungle. In total, that month there were 214 cases of care for victims by the Doctors Without Borders team.

Carmenza Gálvez,  medical coordinator of the NGO in Colombia and Panama, warns that this is a situation that could be stopped: “Every month we register a greater number of cases. This is outrageous. We demand effective actions by governments to guarantee the safety and dignity of migrants in the Darién jungle. “No one should face this or any form of violence for migrating.”

When compared to the previous year, the increase in cases treated was 191.3%. In 2022 there were 232 and in 2023, the number was 676.

the statistics referred to by the NGO are the cases treated by its health personnel, but it does not necessarily mean that it is the total number of cases that have occurred in the jungle area since not all migrants want to talk about the issue.

Case statistics 
The migrants' complaints agree that armed criminals are holding them in the jungle, forcing them to strip naked and committing all kinds of humiliations. Most of these violent acts are against women, but the NGO has also received reports from men and children.

In addition to sexual violence, migrants report that they are victims of robberies, attacks, and kidnappings. “Our medical and social support team is strengthening the identification mechanism for survivors of sexual violence, but one of our biggest concerns is under-registration since once this type of case occurs, people must seek care within 72 hours to avoid the spread of HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies,” says Gálvez.

Between January 1 and December 31, 2023, more than 520,000 thousand people crossed the Darién Gap. This is an unprecedented number, as it far exceeds the total number of migrants who used Darién to reach the United States in 2022, when there were 248,000, and in 2021 when the figure was 133,000.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/at-least-676-sexual-assaults-on-darien-gap-migrants-last-year

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Search continues for missing shipwreck victim

RECOVERED bodies from migrant shipwreck.

Posted 16/02/2024

On Monday, February 14, a boat with 27 migrants, mostly Afghans, capsized due to bad weather in Carreto Bay, in the indigenous community of Guna Yala on the Caribbean coast, about 25 kilometers from the border with Colombia.

“We currently have five bodies accounted for and we are still searching for a sixth body that has been reported missing,” said Jorge Gobea, director of Senafront, on TVN Noticias.

Among the five deceased there is a minor. According to Gobea, there was even a three-month-old baby on the boat.

“It is an area where the sea is impassable at the moment, there are a lot of waves,” he said. “The work of rescuing the bodies has been difficult because they were located on a cliff, and the cliffs cannot be reached right now, only by land,” he added.

COYOTES
Panamanian authorities suspect that the migrants were transported by human traffickers known as “coyotes”.

Panama has become a route for migrants trying to reach the United States from South America.

The majority enter through the inhospitable Darién jungle, on the border with Colombia, but they also do so by boat through the indigenous region of Guna Yala.

“It is an extremely violent route for the boats that transit through that sector,” said Gobea, as criminal groups try to introduce migrants through this indigenous region in the early morning hours.

As they pass through Panama, migrants face waves at sea, flooding rivers, dangerous animals and criminal groups in the jungle.

In 2023, more than 520,000 people, including 120,000 children, entered Panama through the Darien jungle, a record number.

Criminal groups “establish routes by sectors, sell them as a tourist package and deceive the migrant, who thinks that getting to Panama is only crossing the border,” Gobea said.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/search-continues-for-missing-shipwreck-victim-1

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54,000 migrants cross Darien Gap in 45 days

Posted 16/02/2024

In the first 45 days of the year, at least 54,000 irregular migrants through the Darién Gap heading for the US or Canada reports the National Immigration Service (SNM).

In the first 14 days of February, the entry of 18,546 migrants from Colombia was recorded. in the 31 days of January, 36,001 people entered, which adds up to a total of 54,547 in 45 days.

The figures reflect an increase in the entry of irregular migrants through Darién, compared to the first two months of 2023. Between January and February 2023, 49,291 people crossed the inhospitable jungle.

In 45 days of 2024, 5,256 more travelers have entered.

In 2023, Panama registered a record number of 520,085 migrants who managed to make the crossing through the Darién Gap.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/54000-migrants-cross-darien-gap-in-45-days

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Migrant Fights and Fire in the Darien

Posted 02/03/2024

 

On Friday night, a fire broke out at the migrant shelter station in San Vicente de Darién, affecting several housing units, 10 destroyed, where people who enter the country through the Darien jungle take refuge.  A disturbance among migrants and eventually with Panamanian border police resulted in the destruction of various vehicles.  At least 44 migrants were arrested in the aftermath at a temporary migrant reception center in San Vicente, where migrants emerging from the treacherous Darien jungle that covers the Colombia-Panama border register with Panamanian authorities.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Security (Minseg), it all started after a fight began between two women over a tent, and when their partners intervened, that triggered a massive fight between the different groups.  Faced with the situation, members of the National Border Service (Senafront) tried to intervene but a group of approximately 250 migrants opposed the intervention, so more Senafront members had to be ordered in to quell the violence and put out the fire.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/migrant-fights-and-fire-in-the-darien-1

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Foreigners Deported from Panama

 Posted 05/03/2024

The National Immigration Service reported on the weekend that a total of 784 people have been deported as part of the Shield Campaign of Operation Chocó #2. Immigration law applied to 152 of these people.  According to Migration, 30 Colombians were deported in this third operation in 2024, all coming from the irregular migratory flow, and who did not meet the immigration profile for their transit.  The transfer of the thirty foreigners took place at the Albrook Airport in the Panamanian capital.  According to statistical figures, within the Shield Campaign, in 2023, Immigration Law applied to 632 people, of which 492 people were deported and 140 expelled. 2023 surpassed previous years in terms of deportations, registering more than 750 deportations.  Meanwhile, so far in 2024, there are already 251 situations; 130 people have been deported and 22 expelled, totaling 784 people to whom immigration law applied.  It is worth mentioning that the majority of those expelled were from Colombia, Venezuela, China, Russia, the Dominican Republic, among other nationalities.  In a joint effort, in the Shield Campaign, the National Immigration Service, the National Aeronaval Service (SENAN) and the National Border Service (Senafront), work together as a fundamental axis of national security.  Migration pointed out that due process, human rights and fundamental guarantees of foreigners have been respected for the application of these measures.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/foreigners-deported-from-panama

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Darién Gap News

Posted 07/03/2024

Colombian authorities shut down a passage in the Colombia-Panama border region known as the Darién Gap last week after Colombian police arrested two boat captains accused of illegally transporting migrants through the dangerous jungle area. The closure caused a bottleneck in which thousands of migrants crowded into two Colombian towns that lacked enough food and infrastructure to support them. The passage was reopened after around five days.  Although Washington in the USA has pressured Latin American governments to impose new restrictions on northward migration, the episode underscored that abruptly shutting down migrant transit routes has logistical and humanitarian consequences.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/darien-gap-news

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Migrants are Being Bussed Back to Panama

 Posted 13/03/2024

Mexico is sending migrants back to Panama on buses.  The Mexican government plans to pay up to $34.2 million in a tender to hire buses to repatriate irregular migrants they capture to send them to Panama and the rest of the Central American countries.  The newspaper El Sol de México, detailed that this plan was devised by the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to reduce the number of migrants in Mexican territory.  There will be at least 40 passenger trucks that must be available “at any time” to cover the international route of safe return. So far this year, 85,000 migrants have already entered the Darién jungle.  It is interesting that I have met expats over the years who were willing to pay good money to hike through the Darien jungle and travel throughout South and Central America by bus.  If it wasn't such a sad situation, one of these bus companies getting all of this current experience, could start offering bus tours and hiking to North American and European adventurers.  

https://www.newsroompanama.com/travel/migrants-are-being-bussed-back-to-panama

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Pope Francis Advocates for Migrants Crossing the Darien

Posted 20/03/2024

Pope Francis has asked the Church of Latin America to work to eradicate the indifference that exists towards migrants who cross the Darien jungle looking for a better life.  His message was sent to the meeting of border Bishops of Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama.  Pope Francis is advocating for migrants crossing Darien and asks everyone who can, to give them help.  "I urge you, therefore, to join forces with all levels of the international community, so that everyone has the right to remain in their land with a dignified and peaceful life," he added. 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/pope-francis-advocates-for-migrants-crossing-the-darien