Panama Announces Fines for Migrants who Enter the Country Illegally

People who enter the country irregularly, through any entry point or as part of the migratory flow that crosses the Darien jungle, coming from Colombia, will be sanctioned with fines ranging from $300 to more than $1,000 . This is established in Executive Decree 194 of October 25, 2024, issued by the Ministry of Security and published in the Official Gazette. According to the decree, there are two types of sanctions depending on the immigration status.

Article 1 specifies that any foreign person who enters the country violating immigration checkpoints at land, air or sea will be fined between $1,000 and $5,000, depending on the severity of the violation committed. Those who violate this measure will not be able to leave the country without first paying the corresponding financial penalty, and if they do not have the financial resources to pay the fine, they will be deported.

Regarding people who are passing through the irregular flow through the Darien jungle, coming from Colombia, the special conditions of vulnerability in which they find themselves will be taken into consideration so that the financial penalty is accessible and they can pay it before leaving the national territory.

Violation of a Checkpoint: foreign citizens who enter the national territory irregularly through the irregular migratory flow across the border with the Republic of Colombia will be subject to a pecuniary sanction of three hundred balboas (B/.300.00) for the first time, six hundred balboas (B/.600.00) for the second time, nine hundred balboas (B/.900.00) for the third time, and one thousand balboas (B/.1,000.00) for subsequent occasions,” the decree states.

In recent years, Panama has seen an increase in migrants crossing the border at Darien, most of them Venezuelans.

So far in 2024, the number of people who have entered the region has exceeded 270,000. In 2023, a record number of half a million irregular travelers was recorded.

Most of these irregular migrants aim to reach the United States.

Since last July, Panama and the US government have been implementing a bilateral agreement to deport those people who enter the country illegally and who do not have a basis to stay in Panama, as well as those who have criminal records in their respective countries of origin.