At least 3 866 Venezuelan migrants who were in a shelter in Panama City have voluntarily returned to his country in recent days on “humanitarian flights,” an official source reported on Saturday.
The deputy director of the National Migration Service (SNM), María Isabel Saravia, declared in a press conference that the vast majority of these people have processed their return to Venezuela “by their own economic means”, and others “through collaboration”.
Saravia added that another group of some 300 Venezuelan migrants traveled back to their country on Saturday, on two humanitarian flights.
The official highlighted that coordination is being carried out with Costa Rica and Colombia in order to execute joint actions between the three countries from their migration addresses, to protect these people from their vulnerability as migrants and assist them in their return.
Panama reported on Friday “a drastic decrease in the flow of irregular migrants, mainly Venezuelans,” who arrive in the country through the Darien jungle, the border with Colombia, where they have entered so far this year 208,866 people , an unprecedented figure.
“In the last three days only 2 have entered through the irregular route,230 people, of which 624 are of Venezuelan nationality, which indicates a drastic decrease in this type of migration,” the Ministry of Public Security (Minseg) said in a statement, citing data from the SNM.
The drop in the figure occurs after the past 12 October, the Government of the United States will announce the norm that indicates that every Venezuelan who enters that country, having irregularly crossed the border between Mexico and Panama, will be expelled to Mexican territory.
In addition, those expelled will be excluded from the program through which the United States will give legal status for two years to 24, Venezuelans who arrive by plane and with sponsors.
“So far 2022, have entered the country” through the jungle “a record number of 230,866 people, subtracting a little more than two months to end the year. Of that amount, 148,052 are of Venezuelan nationality”, the official Panamanian statement stated on Friday.
In October, “70.304 persons who have entered the flow of irregular migrants, of which 40.360 are Venezuelans”, specified the Minsec.
The dangerous Darién jungle has been for decades an irregular migration route used by people from all over the world who travel to the US, despite the serious dangers that its wild environment entails and by the presence of organized crime groups.
The region has suffered several irregular migrant crises: Cubans among 2015 Y 2016; of Haitians in 2021 and this 2022 of Venezuelans, all fleeing crises in their countries and with the intention of reaching the US
Panama has migratory reception stations (ERM) on its borders with Colombia (south) and Costa Rica (north), where it takes irregular travelers to take their biometric data and offer them health and food services, an operation that has consumed more than million dollars from 2020 according to official data.
In the ERM they are “1,634 people, of which 1, 123 are men, 148 women, 149 children and 139 girls”, the official statement said this Friday.
Irregular Venezuelan migrants are arriving at a temporary shelter of the Embassy of Venezuela , in the Panamanian capital, to manage their voluntary return to their country, after being forced to give up the “American dream” due to the new US regulations.
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