Our Planet Climate and Geopolitics
Panama has started repatriating undocumented migrants, starting with 29 Colombians with criminal records, on flights financed by the US under an agreement signed last month. The two countries want to reduce irregular migration through the Darien Gap – a dangerous strip of jungle connecting Colombia and Panama that has been increasingly used by migrants trying to reach North America. In recent years the US government has signed agreements with many Central and South American countries including Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, which have imposed visa restrictions and strengthened border enforcement to stop migrants flying into their countries to reach the southern US border. In early 2021, Kamala Harris was tasked with addressing the “root causes” of migration from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. This is not that, but it could be a first step.
