The Panamanian authorities indicated that there are still 600 people left in the temporary shelter arranged for Venezuelan migrants. They estimated the departure of another group of between 300 and 400 people for this Wednesday
The director of the Panamanian Migration Service, Samira Gozaine, indicated on Tuesday, October 25, that some 900 Venezuelan migrants in that country, who were irregular, have already returned to Venezuela voluntarily through “humanitarian flights.”
It must be remembered that the Venezuelan migrants who are in Panama in an irregular condition were taken to a shelter near Panama City, where they must remain until they manage to obtain the amount of the plane ticket that can take them back to Venezuela. There is no permission for them to make the crossing on foot.
Gozaine pointed out that priority has been given to minors and pregnant women who are in that temporary shelter arranged by the Venezuelan diplomatic mission, detailing that more than 80 children and 35 pregnant women have already left and that currently the who are considered less vulnerable.
He explained that there are still some 600 people in the shelter and that “other people are on the way,” who would be those who are not given permission to travel through Panama illegally because they do not have visas.
“Approximately 600 people are missing here, some are on their way, several have bought their (plane) ticket with the (diplomatic) mission, several will leave on other types of flights, there are many donors who are coming to donate and buy tickets for them,” said the Panamanian official.
He also said that they are “organizing this entire process with the help of various NGOs, the International Community, the Venezuelan community in Panama, the mission (Venezuelan diplomacy), the Church, so I think that by Wednesday another 300 – 400 people (…) we hope to evict all these people who are just asking to return to their home«.
Until Monday, October 24, the EFE agency reported that Venezuelan migrants arriving from North America continued to arrive at the “temporary shelter” where, according to Gozaine, on Sunday the 23rd some 300 people had already left Panama on two flights.
That day, 167 irregular Venezuelan migrants returned to the nation on a humanitarian flight. This was reported by the head of operations of the National Immigration Service of Panama, Osvaldo Ureña.
The Panamanian official indicated that of the total returnees, 30 were children and ten were pregnant women. He indicated that the National Immigration Service of Panama controls and supervises that the embarkation of migrants is done safely.
With information from Swiss Info / runrunes /
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