Panama starts US-backed deportation flights to discourage migrants

The first flight of deported migrants left Panama early yesterday, part of a new strategy to reduce the mostly US-bound flow of people that crosses the treacherous jungle connecting Central and South America.Financed by Washington, the flights come less than three months before November’s US presidential election.They mark a new means of addressing migration, which has emerged as a top issue in the contest between former Republican president Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris."We have the first flight of the agreement financed by the United States,” Panamanian Vice-Minister of Security Luis Felipe Icaza, accompanied by US officials, told reporters after the charter flight took off at dawn en route to Bogota.Before boarding the Fokker 50 aircraft, the group was lined up on the side of the runway and each was screened with metal detectors.The 29 deportees, who had no luggage, were handcuffed and climbed the plane’s stairs slowly.Icaza said the next flight could depart on Friday or Saturday under the deal that Panama signed with the United States in July.All 29 deportees are Colombians with criminal records in their home country and apprehended after crossing the Darien Gap jungle connecting Colombia with Panama.More than half a million migrants crossed the Darien Gap last year, a record high, led by fleeing Venezuelans and others from across the Americas and beyond.The deportation flights will increase in frequency.They form part of a July deal between US officials and Panama’s new President Jose Mulino, who campaigned on a pledge to end his country’s status as a transit point.Panama’s migration head Roger Mojica told a press conference that efforts to deport migrants from nations besides Colombia are ongoing, including Ecuador and India.However, he noted that deporting Venezuelans will be more complicated given Panama’s suspension of diplomatic relations with Venezuela after its disputed presidential election last month.Marlen Pineiro, an official with the US Department of Homeland Security, said that the goal of the deportation flights is simple."The message we’re sending is very clear: Darien is no longer a route,” she said, stressing that migrants must opt for only legal options to enter the United States.US officials have previously disclosed a $6mn budget for the flights and are training Panamanians.They said that the repatriations are implemented in accordance with Panama’s laws.