PANAMA CITY — The federal government of Panama stated Thursday it’s going to launch a brand new marketing campaign to stem the move of migrants via the harmful, jungle-clad Darien Hole, after crossings hit 300,000 to date this 12 months.
As compared, lower than 250,000 migrants crossed in all of 2022.
The plan, named “Darien is a jungle, not a street,” might be launched subsequent week, officers stated, however they may barely conceal their frustration with neighboring Colombia’s incapability to cease migrants from coming to the 2 international locations’ roadless border.
“Regardless of all of the efforts, conferences with different international locations concerned haven’t managed to cease (the move of migrants),” Panama’s Safety Minister Juan Manuel Pino advised a information convention.
Officers stated the large trekking of migrants via the hole — now operating between 2,500 and three,000 per day — has polluted and broken the jungle, in addition to uncovered individuals to dangers and rights abuses.
Samira Gozaine, Panama’s prime immigration official, stated “do not inform me the border cannot be closed,” including “it’s potential, although it will take motion.”
In April, america, Panama and Colombia agreed to attempt to crack down on the smuggling rings that deliver migrants via the hole.
However earlier this month, Gozaine stated there was a ignorance sharing and joint motion on the a part of Colombia.
“As an alternative of getting higher, it has gotten worse, despite the negotiations with Colombia,” Gozaine stated. “There was no settlement, no data sharing, nor any effort which may assist Panama handle the unregulated move, which has grown significantly in latest days.”
“Sadly, we’ve not been in a position to attain any settlement with Colombia, which continues to indiscriminately ship us not solely individuals from different international locations, however Colombians as nicely,” she added.
There was no instant response from the Colombian authorities.
The United Nations projected that if the tempo retains up, as many as 400,000 might cross the hole by the 12 months’s finish.
Migrants from South America — primarily Venezuelans — use the Darien Hole to journey by land via Central America and head on to the U.S. southwestern border. However a rising variety of individuals from different locations, together with Africa and Asia, journey to South America to make use of the hole as nicely.
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Observe AP’s international migration protection at https://apnews.com/hub/migration