Darien Gap Memorandum of Understanding – Panama and the US
The memorandum of understanding signed between the United States and Panama seeks to support compliance with immigration laws in a safe and humane manner. Implementing repatriation will be financed by the US, in order to expand training to carry out the repatriation of migrants in a safe and humane manner. According to Eric Jacobstein, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the US State Department, $6 million was provided to support Panama’s initiatives, which focus on reducing the transit of irregular migrants. Panama cannot manage this irregular migration crisis alone, so we call on the international community to discourage transit through Darien,” he said.
Between one and two thousand people from countries such as Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, Colombia and other nations arrive in Panama every day after crossing the Darien jungle, risking their lives. Jocobstein stressed that this is a pilot plan, so they have little information on how it will be implemented, especially how many people can be repatriated and the frequency of these trips, but they are very optimistic about the results that can be obtained, indicating that it will be launched in the coming weeks.
For his part, Luis Miranda, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications at the Department of Homeland Security, explained that logistics will be established according to needs, and that the process will be carried out under the principle of non-refoulement. Non-refoulement is a fundamental principle of international law that forbids a country receiving asylum seekers from returning them to a country in which they would be in probable danger. They have said that with this memorandum of understanding they seek to support Panama in enforcing migration laws in a safe and humane manner, implementing repatriation.
They explained that this pilot program will provide technical and logistical assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with air transportation to expand deportations, in a humane manner, to repatriate those who do not have permits to be in Panama, nor a legal basis to remain in the country. However, safe conduct is contemplated to guarantee human rights, to protect people who are being persecuted in their countries of origin, in full compliance with international agreements. “Addressing irregular migration in the Western Hemisphere is a responsibility for everyone,” Miranda said.
The money that was and will be delivered is for training, technical training and repatriation flights. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jacobstein recalled that the United States has provided 50 million dollars to address the humanitarian crisis in the region. He also highlighted the cooperation between the two nations in the fight against organized crime. In this regard, he reiterated that 8 million dollars have been offered as a reward for information that helps with the capture of members of the Clan del Golfo, which supposedly operates in the Darien jungle.
He stressed the importance of combating criminal networks that are operating on this route, taking advantage of the situation of vulnerable people. On July 1, President José Raúl Mulino, as his first action after assuming power, signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States, as cooperation to confront the migration crisis that worsens year after year, and costs millions of dollars to the isthmus. The drastic reduction of the number of migrants passing through the Darien jungle has been one of Mulino’s campaign promises, and he also asked for cooperation from countries of origin, transit and destination.
