Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security of the United States (DHS), travels this Monday to Panama City where he will lead a US delegation that seeks to address the situation of irregular migration in the region along with Colombian officials and Panamanians.
Mayorkas will discuss a “coordination campaign to address the dire humanitarian situation in the Darien Gap,” DHS announced, and will seek to “build on the progress achieved through the Los Angeles Declaration.
The Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection was presented in June 2022 after the IX Summit of the Americas, and brings together multiple leaders from the Western Hemisphere with the intention of adopting measures that include legal pathways to enter countries, aid to communities most impacted by migration, humanitarian border management and coordinated emergency responses.
In Panama City, Mayorkas will meet with Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo, Foreign Minister Janaina Tewaney and Security Minister Juan Manuel Pino. The Colombian delegation will include Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva and Defense Minister Iván Velázquez.
“The delegations from the US, Colombia, and Panama will discuss solutions to the elevated levels of irregular migration throughout the hemisphere and how our countries can continue to work together to build the conditions for safe, orderly, humane, and regular migration,” DHS said in a statement. written.
In 2022, the number of migrants who crossed irregularly into Panama and crossed the Darién Jungle route reached a record 250,000, according to the Panamanian government. The figure almost doubles the reports from 2021, when the number of people who embarked on the dangerous journey was 133,000.
The US delegation that will travel to Panama with Mayorkas includes the administrator of the US Agency for International Development, Samantha Power, the commander of the US Southern Command, Laura Richardson, and other senior representatives.
Power, for his part, will discuss with the delegation USAID’s work in the region “to address the root causes that drive migration, support the integration of migrants into host communities, and expand access to legal pathways for migration.” , detailed the agency.
The official will attend the work in progress to establish support for the development and management of migration in Panama and Colombia.
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