The authorities of Panama and Costa Rica agreed on Tuesday to transfer migrants returning from the north of the continent to the south to shelters on the borders to then be returned to their countries of origin on planes paid for by the US after detecting a “reverse migratory flow.”
The Minister of Security of Panama, Frank Ábrego, explained that the meeting with his Costa Rican counterpart, Mario Zamora, “allowed to establish an initial protocol to manage the return of irregular migrants, which contemplates their concentration in the Migrant Care Center (Catem) in Costa Rica.”
From this Catem, “they would be transferred to Metetí (in Darién, bordering Colombia) or Los Planes de Gualaca (in Panama, bordering Costa Rica), and later repatriated by air or sea to their countries of origin, in coordination with the memorandum of understanding signed with the United States,” the minister added in a statement.
It was agreed that “irregular migrants must present themselves at Catem, where their data will be registered and a biometric check will be carried out to verify the absence of criminal records,” according to official information from the Panamanian Security portfolio.
Both authorities “continue to analyze strategies to manage the reverse migratory flow” and “among the measures considered is the implementation of the same bus transportation system from Catem to Lajas Blancas (Darién), where migrants would receive assistance before their return to the south.”
On February 2, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino proposed to the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, during his official visit to the country, to strengthen cooperation in the deportation of migrants, since both countries have had an agreement since last July to return migrants who have crossed the dangerous Darien jungle, the natural border with Colombia, on flights paid for by the North American country.
A “reverse migratory flow”
This coordination between Panama and Costa Rica occurs after a “reverse migratory flow” was detected, from the north to the south, which until now has “been slow, but shows a tendency to increase,” according to the Panamanian statement.
“We want to guarantee an orderly, legal, humanitarian and safe migratory flow. This meeting marks the beginning of a coordination that seeks to ensure the return of migrants to their countries of origin in adequate conditions,” said the Costa Rican minister.
The meeting between the two ministers was held on Tuesday in “Costa Rican territory” to “analyze and optimize the reverse return flow from north to south,” according to information from the Panamanian government.
Donald Trump measures
The migrants were traveling from South America, crossing the dangerous Darien jungle to reach North America, mainly the United States, in search of better living conditions. However, since Donald Trump came to power, immigration policies have been tightened with raids on the streets.
Specifically, on January 21, the Trump Administration issued an order allowing immigration authorities to carry out raids on schools, churches and hospitals after revoking a directive from his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden (2021-2025), which established a series of “protected areas” where such raids were prohibited.
Mexico also reinforced the deployment of its security forces on the border with the United States following the agreement reached with Trump by which he postponed the application of 25% tariffs on the country.
