Panama is following through on a pledge to crack down on illegal immigrants passing through the country and headed for the United States, uncovering suspected terrorists in the process.
Panamanian authorities on Thursday evening deported 30 Ecuadorians who were suspected of evading an immigration checkpoint. According to The deportation was the second U.S.-funded in Panama since newly elected President Jose Raul Mulino vowed to stop the country becoming a transit point for illegal migrants heading to the United States, according to Reuters. (Related story: Biden-Harris administration reportedly preparing to restart fraud-plagued migrant flight program)
As the small Central American country steps up border security, government officials say they are also identifying suspected terrorists heading to the U.S.-Mexico border. According to Panama's border police (SENAFRONT) reported earlier this month that they had arrested three terrorism suspects from Afghanistan, local Spanish news outlet Critica reported.
“We linked them and profiled them as members of an active cell,” said Jorge Gobert, secretary-general of SenaFront. said The Center for Migration Studies (CIS) said of the arrests: “They were members of Salafist groups and were involved in various activities.”
A Colombian migrant with handcuffs around his ankles boards a plane during a deportation at Albrook Gelabert Airport in Panama City on August 20, 2024. (Photo: ARNULFO FRANCO / AFP) (Photo: ARNULFO FRANCO/AFP via Getty Images)
Gobert acknowledged to CIS that such arrests happen regularly.
“we have Many “There's not just one story,” the director said, “there are many stories: Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Africa.”
Mulino, a right-wing politician, was elected in May on a notable promise to close many of the migrant routes along the Darien Gap, a vast jungle region straddling the border between Panama and Colombia that more than half a million migrants have used to reach the southern U.S. border. Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants cross the Darien Gap each year, taking advantage of the dense forest and the presence of dangerous drug cartels that make it difficult for government authorities to police the border.
The Mulino administration signed a deal with the United States to ease the flow of illegal immigrants. The memorandum of understanding provides U.S. agents to help Panamanian authorities process migrants crossing the Darien Valley and also provides funding to strengthen the tiny country's deportation capacity.
Thursday's deportations from Panama came after authorities there repatriated 30 Colombian citizens earlier this month, according to Reuters. Mulino has already announced that Indian and Chinese nationals will be deported in the coming days, with more deportations to come.
Every year, Border Patrol agents arrest suspected terrorists attempting to enter the United States illegally. According to The number of people on terrorism watch lists apprehended by the Border Patrol has seen an alarming increase under the Biden-Harris administration as the country deals with an ongoing border crisis, according to data from Customs and Border Protection.
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