INOR
Herbalife
Los Portales
Barceló Solymar
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
blackanddecker
Nestle
Cubasol
Realidad Turística
Walmart
INTERFER
CUN-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Intecap
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Agexport
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
Tigo
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
AVA Resorts

Biden Plans to Deploy Immigration Officers to Panama to Help Screen And Deport U.S.-Bound Migrants, Officials Say

Date:

Share:

INTERFER
blackanddecker
Los Portales
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
Nestle
Realidad Turística
Herbalife
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
INOR
Intecap
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
AVA Resorts

The Biden administration is planning to deploy a team of U.S. immigration officials to Panama to help local authorities screen and deport migrants traveling through the Central American country, which is a key transit point for those hoping to reach America’s southern border, two U.S. officials with knowledge of the plans told CBS News.

The Department of Homeland Security has identified a team of officials with experience screening asylum-seekers and deporting migrants that will be dispatched to Panama once a final agreement is reached with that country’s government, which asked for the assistance, the U.S. government officials said, requesting anonymity to discuss internal plans.

The objective is to have personnel from various DHS agencies, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and Immigration and Customs Enforcement train and assist Panamanian authorities as they grapple with an extraordinary flow of migrants into the Darién Gap, a rugged jungle that connects Panama with South America.

Nearly 500,000 migrants, half of them women and children, have crossed the once-impenetrable Darién jungle on foot this year, a record and once-unthinkable number, according to Panamanian government data. The vast majority of migrants have come from Venezuela, which has seen millions of its citizens flee in recent years to escape a widespread economic crisis and authoritarian rule.

The Biden administration plans to train Panamanian officials to screen migrants for humanitarian protection and deport those who don’t qualify. It is also planning to help Panama secure government contracts to bolster its deportation operations, a senior U.S. official said.

The novel initiative would be subsidized by U.S. State Department funds. The administration has notified Congress that it intends to divert the money to DHS to fund the effort, which will only begin once Panama and the U.S. finalize a formal agreement.

The “goal of the program is to provide technical assistance and other capacity building so that they can create a more robust program to repatriate migrants who do not establish a legal basis to remain in Panama,” the senior U.S. official told CBS News.

Representatives for Panama’s embassy in the U.S. did not respond to requests for comment.

The U.S. plans to underscore the Biden administration’s desperation to reduce the unprecedented levels of migration to the southern border over the past three years. In fiscal year 2023, the U.S. Border Patrol recorded over 2 million apprehensions of migrants who entered the country without authorization — only the second time the agency has surpassed that tally.

The plans also illustrate the extent to which the U.S. — under Democratic and Republican administrations — relies on other countries in the region to manage complex migration patterns that have intensified in sheer numbers and in diversity of nationalities and demographics.

Indeed, the Biden administration has increasingly worked to convince Latin American countries to stop U.S.-bound migrants by granting humanitarian protection to those eligible for it and deporting those who aren’t. Nineteen countries agreed to those requests when they signed the U.S.-brokered Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection last year.

Mr. Biden’s administration has sought to manage migration through these diplomatic efforts as well as a combination of penalties for illegal border crossings — including a rule that restricts asylum eligibility — and expanded opportunities for migrants to come to the U.S. legally.

That strategy saw some success in late spring when illegal entries along the southern border plunged to a two-year low. But the downward trend was quickly reversed in the summer, and unlawful crossings soared to the highest level this year in September, driven in part by record arrivals of Venezuelans.

Illegal border entries did decrease in October, though they remained at historically high levels. One of the senior U.S. officials said the move to start deportation flights to Venezuela contributed to the drop in migration to the U.S. and to Panama, which also recorded a significant decrease in crossings along the Darién jungle in October. (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-immigration-officials-panama-migrant-screening-darien-gap/)

Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
AVA Resorts
Nestle
Cubasol
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
blackanddecker
Realidad Turística
Intecap
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Barceló Solymar
INOR
Agexport
Walmart
CUN-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Tigo
Los Portales
INTERFER
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
Herbalife
Barcelo Guatemala City
AirEuropa
Henkel Latinoamerica
Hotel Holiday Inn Guatemala
Tigo
Hotel Barcelo Solymar
Intecap
Cubacel
Revista Colombiana de Turismo Passport
Havanatur
Maggi - GLUTEN-FREE
Blue Diamond Resorts
INTERFER

Subscribe to our magazine

━ more like this

Pole Dancing in Israel: A New Dimension with BlueDance.co.il

In recent years, pole dancing has experienced a remarkable transformation, shifting from a misunderstood niche to a popular activity combining fitness, self-expression, and empowerment....

A New Luxury Hotel Just Opened on An Idyllic Beach in Cancun, Mexico — And We Were the First to Stay

Waldorf Astoria Cancun opened to the public on Nov. 1, the brand's first new build in Mexico, with two waterfront pools and a fantastic...

Pan American Health Organization Launches Interactive Dashboard on Avian Influenza in The Americas

To monitor cases of avian influenza A (H5N1) in the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) launched an interactive dashboard on the web...

Nicaragua Presents Its New Interoceanic Canal Route to China and Seeks to Compete with Panama

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes With a length of 445 kilometers, in a second attempt, the Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, presents China with a new...

This North East African Country Welcomes Over 15.7 Million Tourists Last Year and An Addition 40,000 New Hotel Rooms are in Pipeline

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes In a year marked by global uncertainties and regional geopolitical challenges, Egypt’s tourism sector achieved an impressive milestone, welcoming a...
Maggi - GLUTEN-FREE
Hotel Holiday Inn Guatemala
Intecap
Cubacel
Barcelo Guatemala City
INTERFER
Havanatur
Blue Diamond Resorts
Henkel Latinoamerica
Revista Colombiana de Turismo Passport
Hotel Barcelo Solymar
AirEuropa

1 COMMENT

  1. Crossing have actually decreased and the dishonesty from Republicans is disgusting. Per the article:

    That strategy saw some success in late spring when illegal entries along the southern border plunged to a two-year low. But the downward trend was quickly reversed in the summer, and unlawful crossings soared to the highest level this year in September, driven in part by record arrivals of Venezuelans.

    Illegal border entries did decrease in October, though they remained at historically high levels. One of the senior U.S. officials said the move to start deportation flights to Venezuela contributed to the drop in migration to the U.S. and to Panama, which also recorded a significant decrease in crossings along the Darién jungle in October.

    Why is no one talking about the double counting or recounting of people who entered under Stay in Mexico? Stop the lies.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Walmart
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Cubasol
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
Los Portales
Realidad Turística
Intecap
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
AVA Resorts
Herbalife
Nestle
INOR
Barceló Solymar
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
blackanddecker
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Agexport
INTERFER
Tigo