Panama announces first flight to repatriate migrants after agreement with the US

He First migrant repatriation flight The Central American country’s presidency announced on Monday that the entry of migrants who arrive irregularly to Panama through the dangerous Darien jungle will be stopped on Tuesday, as part of a recent agreement with the United States.

Panama’s new president, José Raúl Mulino, took office in early July promising to crack down on migration and announcing a deal with the United States for Washington to cover the costs of deporting migrants who cross the Central American nation illegally.

“In compliance with the Memorandum of Understanding between Panama and the United States, the first deportation flight will be carried out for migrants who arrived illegally through Darien,” the Presidency stated in an invitation distributed to the media.

The invitation calls for the press to meet on Tuesday at 5:00 a.m. (1000 GMT) in the passenger lounge of Marcos A. Gelabert Airport, located between the capital and the Panama Canal.

The dangerous Darien jungle, which separates Panama from Colombia, saw a record number of just over half a million migrants crossing the border last year in search of safety and better economic opportunities, mostly in the United States.

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