Current:Home > FinanceBiden plans to deploy immigration officers to Panama to help screen and deport U.S.-bound migrants, officials say-LoTradeCoin
Biden plans to deploy immigration officers to Panama to help screen and deport U.S.-bound migrants, officials say
View Date:2024-12-24 07:34:31
McAllen, Texas — The Biden administration is planning to deploy a team of U.S. immigration officials to Panama to help local authorities screen and deport migrants traveling through the Central American country, which is a key transit point for those hoping to reach America's southern border, two U.S. officials with knowledge of the plans told CBS News.
The Department of Homeland Security has identified a team of officials with experience screening asylum-seekers and deporting migrants that will be dispatched to Panama once a final agreement is reached with that country's government, which asked for the assistance, the U.S. government officials said, requesting anonymity in order to discuss internal plans.
The objective is to have personnel from various DHS agencies, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and Immigration and Customs Enforcement train and assist Panamanian authorities as they grapple with an extraordinary flow of migrants into the Darién Gap, a rugged jungle that connects Panama with South America.
Nearly 500,000 migrants, half of them women and children, have crossed the once-impenetrable Darién jungle on foot this year, a record and once-unthinkable number, according to Panamanian government data. The vast majority of migrants have come from Venezuela, which has seen millions of its citizens flee in recent years to escape a widespread economic crisis and authoritarian rule.
The Biden administration plans to train Panamanian officials to screen migrants for humanitarian protection and deport those who don't qualify. It is also planning to help Panama secure government contracts to bolster its deportation operations, a senior U.S. official said.
The novel initiative would be subsidized by U.S. State Department funds. The administration has notified Congress that it intends to divert the money to DHS to fund the effort, which will only begin once Panama and the U.S. finalize a formal agreement.
The "goal of the program is to provide technical assistance and other capacity building so that they can basically create a more robust program to repatriate migrants who do not establish a legal basis to remain in Panama," the senior U.S. official told CBS News.
Representatives for Panama's embassy in the U.S. did not respond to requests for comment.
The U.S. plans underscore the Biden administration's desperation to reduce the unprecedented levels of migration to the southern border over the past three years. In fiscal year 2023, U.S. Border Patrol recorded over 2 million apprehensions of migrants who entered the country without authorization – only the second time the agency has surpassed that tally.
The plans also illustrate the extent to which the U.S. — under Democratic and Republican administrations — relies on other countries in the region to manage complex migration patterns that have intensified in sheer numbers and in diversity of nationalities and demographics.
Indeed, the Biden administration has increasingly worked to convince Latin American countries to stop U.S.-bound migrants by granting humanitarian protection to those eligible for it and deporting those who aren't. Nineteen countries agreed to those requests when they signed the U.S.-brokered Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection last year.
Mr. Biden's administration has sought to manage migration through these diplomatic efforts as well as a combination of penalties for illegal border crossings — including a rule that restricts asylum eligibility — and expanded opportunities for migrants to come to the U.S. legally.
That strategy saw some success in late spring, when illegal entries along the southern border plunged to a two-year low. But the downward trend was quickly reversed in the summer, and unlawful crossings soared to the highest level this year in September, driven in part by record arrivals of Venezuelans.
Illegal border entries did decrease in October, though they remained at historically high levels. One of the senior U.S. officials said the move to start deportation flights to Venezuela contributed to the drop in migration to the U.S. and to Panama, which also recorded a significant decrease in crossings along the Darién jungle in October.
- In:
- Immigration
- Panama
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- Migrants
Camilo Montoya-Galvez is the immigration reporter at CBS News. Based in Washington, he covers immigration policy and politics.
TwitterveryGood! (7)
Related
- Bridgerton's Luke Newton Details His Physical Transformation for Season 3's Leading Role
- Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards' Daughter Sami Clarifies Her Job as Sex Worker
- Will a Summer of Climate Crises Lead to Climate Action? It’s Not Looking Good
- Shannen Doherty Recalls “Overwhelming” Fear Before Surgery to Remove Tumor in Her Head
- A list of mass killings in the United States this year
- Fortnite maker Epic Games agrees to settle privacy and deception cases
- Environmental Groups Don’t Like North Carolina’s New Energy Law, Despite Its Emission-Cutting Goals
- Ohio Governor Signs Coal and Nuclear Bailout at Expense of Renewable Energy
- 2 more escaped monkeys recaptured and enjoying peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in South Carolina
- U.S. Electric Bus Demand Outpaces Production as Cities Add to Their Fleets
Ranking
- Guns smuggled from the US are blamed for a surge in killings on more Caribbean islands
- Connecticut Passed an Environmental Justice Law 12 Years Ago, but Not That Much Has Changed
- With Climate Change Intensifying, Can At-Risk Minority Communities Rely on the Police to Keep Them Safe?
- Here’s What Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick’s Teenage Daughters Are Really Like
- J.Crew Outlet Quietly Drops Their Black Friday Deals - Save Up to 70% off Everything, Styles Start at $12
- These 7 charts show how life got pricier (and, yes, cheaper!) in 2022
- Everwood Star Treat Williams’ Final Moments Detailed By Crash Witness Days After Actor’s Death
- Vermont Doubles Down on Wood Burning, with Consequences for Climate and Health
Recommendation
-
Mississippi expects only a small growth in state budget
-
Can America’s First Floating Wind Farm Help Open Deeper Water to Clean Energy?
-
The blizzard is just one reason behind the operational meltdown at Southwest Airlines
-
Government Delays First Big U.S. Offshore Wind Farm. Is a Double Standard at Play?
-
Homes of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce burglarized, per reports
-
In Florida, Environmental Oversight Improves Under DeSantis, But Enforcement Issues Remain
-
Connecticut Passed an Environmental Justice Law 12 Years Ago, but Not That Much Has Changed
-
China Just Entered a Major International Climate Agreement. Now Comes the Hard Part