He President-elect of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, promised this Thursday to deport migrants who enter the country through the Darien junglebordering Colombia, on its journey to the United States.
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More than 520,000 people, mostly Venezuelans, crossed the inhospitable jungle in 2023, which has forced the Panamanian government to allocate resources to assist them. In the first quarter of the year more than 110,000 people made the crossing, according to official figures.
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“The concept of closure that I have outlined implies a philosophical concept that is related to closing the border based on the fact that we will begin a repatriation process,” Mulino said in his speech.
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“So that those from there (in nations of South America) and those who would like to come know, that here whoever arrives is going to return to his country of origin”, added the 64-year-old right-wing lawyer.
“Our Darién is not a transit route, no sir, that is our border,” Mulino added.
He accidentally became a presidential candidate, two months before the elections, since he was the former president’s running mate Ricardo Martinelli (2009 – 2014) until the former governor was politically disqualified after being sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for money laundering, a case that led him to seek asylum in the Nicaraguan Embassy in Panama.
The National Scrutiny Board made Mulino official this Thursday as the new president for the period 2024 – 2029 and gave him the credentials during an event in Panama City. However, the new Government officially begins on July 1, after a staggered transition process that will begin on June 3.
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About 2.8 million migrants enter the United States irregularly each year, which increases the pressure on the president and candidate for re-election in November, Democrat Joe Biden, while the Republicans of his rival Donald Trump accuse him of doing nothing about it.
Central America also faces complications due to the hundreds of thousands of migrants, mostly Venezuelans, who travel across the isthmus after crossing on foot the inhospitable Darien jungle, where criminal gangs operate that assault, rape and kill defenseless travelers.
So that those from there (in South American nations) and those who would like to come know that here whoever arrives will return to their country of origin.
“(We are going to) resolve, together with the Panama Canal Authority, the problems inherent to the interoceanic waterway, providing that lake (Gatun) with the necessary amount of water so that the transit of ships is not stopped and the navigation of the canal is not affected. Canal,” said the president-elect.
The drought forced the number of ship transits to be reduced in 2023. Of 39 newspapers that crossed a year ago, 32 are now circulating.
The president-elect indicated that he will soon meet with the administrator of the Canal, Ricaurte Vásquez, to discuss plans to ensure the water supply in this 80 km route between the Pacific and the Atlantic, which moves 6% of world maritime trade. .
Mulino, who denied in his speech that he was an “ultra-rightist,” indicated that he spoke by telephone with the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, about a possible Free Trade Agreement between Panama and Mercosur, the bloc made up of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
As Lagos said, “we presidents have to learn to pack our bags” and know how to retire, Mulino stated, referring to statements made by the former Chilean president in June 2013 to CNN en Español.
Mulino also acknowledged during his speech that the elections were “unique” and “unprecedented,” with a high participation rate (77.64%). He applauded the triumph of the independent candidates, led by young people who won 20 of the 71 seats in Parliament, thus becoming the first force within the Legislature and displacing the traditional parties to second place.
He reiterated his intention to govern alongside the opposition, reaching out to that group of independents.
AFP and EFE
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