Zulay Rodríguez Wants to Close the Darién Gap

The candidate for the presidency of Panama, Zulay Rodríguez, proposed as part of her campaign to “close” the Darién Gap in order to mitigate the migratory wave of recent years.  “Close the border,” declared the free candidate when asked about the migration crisis in Darién, a jungle through which more than 85,000 people have already passed so far this year on their way to the United States.  In Zulay’s opinion, the area is managed by criminal groups and stained with corruption.  “We must put in more security forces, National Border Service units (Senafront). There’s a lot of corruption. We know that the police authorities are robbing, raping and kidnapping migrants, minor girls,” declared the candidate. Rodríguez explained that after doing an “investigation” in the Darién she discovered that “every day they rape a hundred or so women in Bajo Chiquito (the first town where migrants arrive after crossing the jungle) not in Colombia (but) in Panama”.  When I went to see why Panama is allowing this, I realized that it is because of the food (and) transportation negotiations. They have made everything a business and they charge them 25% of what the relatives send to the migrants,” denounced Rodríguez. She pointed out that on this dangerous route some women and minors are “raped” by armed groups and “security establishments” of Panama while some of the men are brutally beaten. Zulay Rodríguez Lu (born June 20, 1969) is a Panamanian lawyer, professor, and politician.  Currently she is in 5th position out of 8 Presidential candidates at 7% of the vote.  Mulino/Martinelli are at 40%, Ricardo Lombana at 11%, Martin Torrijos at 9%, Romulo Roux at 8%, Jose Carizo at 4% and 21% are currently undecided.