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 violates 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 Darien crossing and repatriate illegal migrants under an agreement reached on May 1er July with the United States, which will help finance these repatriations.
“What we have tried to put in place, precisely to guarantee human rights and to protect lives, is a humanitarian passage” for migrants to take, said Panamanian Public Security Minister Frank Abrego.
This “humanitarian passage” takes the migrants to the area of Lajas Blancas, in Panama, “where they are cared for by organizations such as the International Red Cross, the Panamanian Red Cross, UNICEF and others,” the minister added.
Closing illegal crossings allows Panamanian border police patrols to maintain security in the jungle, where criminal groups rob, rape and kill migrants, Abrego said.
Last Friday, the Colombian Ombudsman said that the closure of three illegal border crossings ordered by Panama would “increase the refoulement” of migrants in this inhospitable jungle.
Images released by the Defender show dozens of people stuck in mud and thick vegetation on the Colombian side of the border, facing 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 with the neighboring country to close these crossings,” Abrego said in an apparent response to these criticisms.
In 2023, more than 520,000 migrants 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 provides for a contribution of six million dollars from Washington to finance the repatriation of migrants.
The United States, where illegal immigration is a major issue in the presidential campaign, announced in June that it was sending a unit to Darien specializing in the fight against human trafficking.