Biden To Deploy Immigration Officers To Panama Amid Migrant Crisis

 

In light of the migrant issue, the Joe Biden administration intends to send a team of immigration officers to Panama, a nation in Central America.

The group of US immigration officers will support local authorities in their efforts to screen and deport migrants passing through Panama, a crucial hub for those seeking to enter the US from South America.

The United States’ immigration authorities will screen and deport people following a formal agreement between the United States and Panama.

As reported by CBS News, American officials seek to support their Panamanian counterparts in managing an unprecedented influx of migrants into the Darién Gap, a section of the Panama Isthmus that connects the American continents within Central America.

This year, around 500,000 migrants — including women and children — have crossed the treacherous Darién Gap on foot at the Colombian-Panama border. Venezuela, a nation on South America’s northern coast, has been the source of the great majority of migrants.

In recent years, thousands of people have fled Venezuela in order to avoid the country’s dictatorial government and economic disaster. Abuse, torture, and violence have been experienced by migrants as they have crossed the Darién Gap. The formerly impassable Darién jungle has been crossed by migrants compelled to flee South American countries due to restrictions on their ability to go to Mexico and Central America.