Panama's President José Raúl Mulino is optimistic about the possibility of a third country taking in Venezuelan migrants deported after crossing the dangerous Darien Gap, as confirmed by Marlen Piñeiro, the U.S. regional attaché for homeland security.
Diplomatic relations between Panama and Venezuela have been on hold since late July, complicating the return of Venezuelans under a repatriation agreement with the United States. So far, this agreement has facilitated the air transport of nearly 800 irregular migrants from various countries who arrived in Panama after making their way through the jungle from Colombia.
Finding a third country willing to accept these undocumented Venezuelans could be a crucial solution to the crisis affecting those passing through Panama on their way to North America, President Mulino said.
Piñeiro told that Panama could start deporting Venezuelan migrants to third countries within days or weeks as part of the agreement with the U.S., which is covering the costs of these operations. When asked about specific countries being considered, she kept the details under wraps but confirmed that discussions have taken place with several nations, according to EFE.
As of September, over 263,000 migrants had crossed the Darien Gap, with 67% being Venezuelan nationals. The number of people making this perilous journey has surged, reaching about 520,000 last year—more than double the total from 2022, with 63% also from Venezuela. Around a quarter of those were minors.
The Darien Gap serves as a natural border with Colombia, used by hundreds of people daily on their journey to North America. For years, the 60-mile treacherous jungle path has been known as one of the most dangerous migrant crossings in the world.
Being the only overland route from South America to Central America, criminal groups have used the area to conduct migrant smuggling operations, which has often involved all sorts of abuses on those making their way up north.
In March, Doctors Without Borders denounced that the Panamanian government had halted its humanitarian activities in the Darien Gap after criticizing a sharp rise in sexual violence against migrants passing through the area.
The NGO, known by its French initials MSF, reported an "extreme" level of brutality faced by migrants undertaking the dangerous trek through the jungle between Colombia and Panama on their way to the United States.
In fact, Tirana Hassan, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said that sexual assaults have become so frequent that women now travel with morning-after pills in case they are raped by members of criminal groups.
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