Panama Deported 30 Ecuadorians Who Entered Panama Illegally

Panama deported on Thursday, August 29, the first group of Ecuadorians who entered the country illegally, as part of the repatriation and deportation plan in place with the United States government.  On this occasion, 30 Ecuadorian citizens were deported to their country, as part of the agreement between Panama and the United States to combat illegal migration.  These people were returned to their country for illegally evading the Darien checkpoint after entering from Colombian territory.  The foreigners left Panama this Thursday from the Marcos A. Gelabert Airport, in Albrook, bound for the Eloy Alfaro International Airport, located in the city of Manta, Ecuador.  The United States has allocated $6 million to develop this repatriation and deportation plan, which officially began on August 20.  Another deportation flight with 30 Colombian citizens is scheduled for this Friday, August 30.  According to data from the National Migration Service, between January and August of this year, 236,621 migrants have entered the country illegally, crossing the dangerous Darien jungle. This represents about 85,000 fewer than what was reported in the same period in 2023.  Most of these migrants aim to reach the United States.