Panama to formalize long-used migrant smuggling boat route to handle ‘reverse flow’ south
Associated PressPANAMA CITY — Panama said on Tuesday that it’s working to formalize a route long used to smuggle migrants on the way to the U.S., which is now being increasingly used to return migrants to South America in a reverse flow triggered by the Trump administration. Migrants from countries like Venezuela and Colombia, unwilling to once again risk their lives crossing the Darien, have paid boats to carry them back to South America along the Caribbean Sea pressing up against Panama. In years past, such boats were often used as a “VIP route” for migrants traveling north that could pay enough to not walk days through the dense jungle. Following press and regional official reports of Panamanian authority involvement in organizing migrant transport, Panamanian Security Minister Frank Abrego said on Tuesday that the boats were carrying migrants south with the “full knowledge of regional authorities.” But he insisted that the boat arrangements were “irregular” deals struck with boat captains.
History of this topic
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Panama to formalize long-used migrant smuggling boat route to handle ‘reverse flow’ south
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