Since being sworn in for a five-year term on 1 July, Panama’s new right-of-centre President José Raúl Mulino has moved on his key campaign pledge to reduce illegal migration through the Darién Gap, a roadless expanse of jungle on Panama’s border with Colombia, through which a record 520,000 migrants crossed in 2023. As well as seeking to close parts of the area, the Mulino administration has inked a deal with the US whereby Washington would help deport illegal migrants through repatriation flights. Scepticism persists as to how far this will have an impact, however, given the failure to tackle the root causes of migration such as the lack of economic opportunity, crime and insecurity, and the impact of climate change.End of preview - This article contains approximately 1093 words.
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