Under a new agreement with Panama's recently inaugurated president, the US will cover the costs of repatriating migrants who enter Panama illegally. President Jose Raul Mulino has pledged to close the perilous Darien Gap, a route commonly used by migrants traveling north to the United States.

In his inaugural address, Mulino vowed to seek international assistance to address what he described as a costly "humanitarian and environmental crisis."

A record 520,000 migrants risked their lives last year, often falling prey to people smugglers, to cross the dense jungle of the Darien Gap on Panama’s border with Colombia.

"We cannot continue financing the economic and social costs that massive illegal immigration generates for the country, along with the consequent connection of international criminal organizations," Mulino said.

Shortly after his address, Mulino’s new foreign minister signed a memorandum of understanding with the US government to "allow the closing off of the passing of illegal immigrants through the Darien," according to a statement from Panama’s government.

US, migrant crisis 

The agreement, signed by US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, stipulates that the US will cover the costs of repatriating migrants who enter Panama illegally.

A White House National Security Council spokesperson said the deal aims to reduce the number of migrants "smuggled through the Darien, usually en route to the United States." The spokesperson added that repatriating some migrants "will help deter irregular migration in the region and at our southern border, and halt the enrichment of malign smuggling networks that prey on vulnerable migrants."

US homeland security teams in Panama will assist the local government in training personnel and developing its capacity to identify which migrants can be removed under Panama’s immigration laws. For those migrants, the US will cover the costs of charter flights or commercial airplane tickets to return them to their home countries.

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The Darien Gap has become a major route for migrants from the southern hemisphere and beyond trying to reach the US. Over 190,000 people have crossed it in 2024, with most migrants coming from Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, and China.

The Biden administration has faced challenges in demonstrating effective immigration and border security management during an election year. Former President Donald Trump has criticized Biden, blaming him for the border problems.

On Monday, data showed that undocumented crossings at the US southern border had fallen to a three-year low, the lowest in Biden’s presidency, shortly after he signed a controversial executive order limiting immigration in June.