US and Panama Join Forces to Address Migrant Crisis in Darien Gap

The United States and Panama have signed an agreement to address the migrant crisis through the Darien Gap. The deal involves US financial and logistical support to help Panama repatriate migrants and build local expertise in managing immigration. This measure comes as Panama's new president vows to shut down the perilous migration route.

The United States will finance flights and provide assistance to Panama to help remove migrants as part of a new agreement signed on Monday. The pact coincides with Panama's new president's commitment to shut down the dangerous Darien Gap route used for migration to the US.

In an official visit led by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, both nations signed a memorandum of understanding as José Raúl Mulino was inaugurated as Panama's president. According to National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson, the agreement aims to reduce the number of migrants smuggled through the Darien, charting a path to the US.

US Homeland Security teams stationed in Panama will assist the country in training personnel and enhancing their capabilities to determine the legality of migrants' residence in Panama. The deal would also see the US funding charter or commercial flights to repatriate migrants, although specific financial details remain undisclosed. The program will be managed entirely by Panama, under its immigration laws.