Judith Pena | January 9, 2023
In just 9 days so far in 2023, almost 3,800 migrants have passed through the Panamanian borders bound for the United States, as reported by the Minister of Public Security, Juan Manuel Pino, noting that the numbers have increased in specific nationalities.
He said that there was a rebound with citizens from Haiti, Ecuador and Brazil.
“Migration is not going to stop and even more so when these changes are taking place, these security problems, social, political and governance problems in some southern countries and that is what migration brings,” he said, reiterating that these migrants are only in transit through Panama, so they will protect the borders with the greatest presence of the units of the National Border Service (Senafront), especially at our crossing points, verifying everyone who enters Panama.
Faced with this increase in the transit of migrants, the director of the National Migration Service, Samira Gozaine, said there is concern among the authorities and specified that this increase has not only occurred at the Darién borders but also through the International Airport of Tocumen, where foreigners have been detected trying to cross the country with fraudulent documents. They are mostly Ecuadorians and Cubans.
He indicated that in immigration matters, the measures will continue to be the same. “This year we are evaluating other measures that were pending last year, such as the application for a transit visa for some nationalities that concern us. All this is being evaluated by the executive, perhaps we will see some changes,” he said, urging foreigners to Cooperate with the census regardless of their immigration status in order to provide them with the necessary help through State strategies.
