The government of Panama announced the reduction of the maximum length of stay for tourists in this country (from 90 to 15 days).as well as increasing the amount required to prove solvency from $500 to $1,000 at immigrant entry points, measures that are part of a new policy to stop the massive arrival of migrants in the Isthmus nation.
According to Samira Gozaine, head of the local migration department, The rules apply at the airport from October 2nd for this type of person who is a victim of organized crime and an irregular immigrant, and we will see how the crisis develops.
In statements to Telemetro, the official noted that the policy changes are aimed at, for example, the supposed tourists who arrive on such a visa, and when they arrive, “and you ask them what places in Panama they are going to visit, and they say, ‘I don’t know.’, you already have an element to help you determine: where are you going to stay? and says I don’t know; means they are at the expense of someone picking them up, taking them to a hotel, and taking them across the border.
“Many people do not need a visa to enter Panama. They enter, work, do not legalize themselves, do not pay taxes, and leave to avoid punishment. For this type of person, the length of stay is reduced. They want to stay. “In Panama, you can only do that for 15 days,” he explained.
Border authorities may also require proof of their ability to pay for their stay in national territory from people entering the country by air, sea, or land.
Gozaine warned that Suspicious travelers “wouldn’t even be allowed in at the beginning”. “If the profilers determine that you are an irregular migrant or a victim of human trafficking, you will be immediately turned away.”
“It’s not even a nationality, but a type of person that we have already identified at the airport based on their behavior.” “This type of person is trying to use our airport to get further north,” the official said.
The measures are aimed at countering the entry of irregular migrants crossing the country on their way to the United States, according to Security Minister Juan Manuel Pino, who considered that this immigration was “no longer human” but rather a national security problem for his country.
Gozaine assured that his agency has detected people entering Panama through customs stations, including migrants mobilized by organized crime. There would also be people with false documents claiming to participate in conferences and in managerial and professional activities.but in reality it is about joining the flow of migrants heading to the southern border of the United States.
Last Friday, Panama announced measures to address the crisis that the country is facing after realizing that it is reaching its limits to deal with the wave of irregular migrants arriving in the country after crossing the Darien jungle .
Among the most important measures, Gozaine said that this was the case The checkpoints currently located in the migrant reception cities in Bajo Chiquito and Canaán Membrillo will be removedMunicipalities in the province of Darién.
He argued that the Panamanian government is trying to “mitigate the impact on health and safety in these communities” and “double surveillance and control at the country’s ports of entry.”
After Panama made the possession of a transit visa mandatory for Cubans traveling to that country for a stopover in March 2022, huge queues in front of that nation’s consulate in Havana highlighted the historic exodus that the island is experiencing and that has not stopped.
In retrospect, Many Cubans, and especially Venezuelans, continue to use the Darién Gap, considered the most dangerous migration route in the world, to get from Colombia to Panama. and to enter Central America with the aim of reaching the northern border of Mexico and entering the United States.
Migrants are not the only Cubans traveling to Panama. For years, thousands of mules from the island have been running shopping trips in this country, especially visiting the Colón Free Trade Zone.
