Panama Arrests Alleged Member of Tren de Aragua Subject to US Alert

A Venezuelan migrant, a suspected member of the transnational gang Tren de Aragua and subject to a U.S. alert, was detained in Panama by border police as he attempted to voluntarily return to his home country, Panamanian authorities reported Monday.  The 28-year-old Venezuelan “was apprehended by units of the Third Pacific Battalion of the National Border Service, in conjunction with personnel from the National Immigration Service, during a verification process using the biometric registration system,” the National Border Service (Senafront/Border Police) reported.  It’s really smart to post internet pictures of you and your gang waving guns.

He was detained while attempting to return to Venezuela, as part of the southern migration flow, in the remote community of Jaqué, in the Darién province, the natural border with Colombia used until last year as a route from South America to reach the United States, according to an official source confirmed to media sources.  The migrant “was illegally in Panamanian territory and, after verification, it was confirmed that he had an alert issued by the United States government for his alleged involvement as a member of the criminal group known as the Tren de Aragua.” 

More than 13,200 irregular migrants have entered Panama so far this year, in their return transit to the southern part of the continent after having been thwarted in their attempt to reach the United States, according to Panamanian authorities.  The Ombudsmen’s Offices of Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia estimate that more than 14,000 people have been returned from Mexico and the United States so far in 2025, which they warn will constitute a growing humanitarian crisis in the region due to the increase in reverse migration.