The Trump Administration has been working with Central American countries to help stem the flow of migrants making their way north to the United States.
Last week, the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan traveled to the country of Panama to encourage that country to do more, and it appears these efforts are paying off.
He came to the Latin American nation hoping to increase cooperation between the US and the new Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo.
McAleenan arrived in Panama with an agenda – the US wanted Panama to become a “safe third country”, and agree to take in thousands of immigrants from around the world who are passing through here en route to the United States.
But that’s a tough sell given that Panama has seen more than 16,000 migrants enter via the Darien Gap this year alone, and is struggling to cope. There are already hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans and Colombians who came here to take advantage of the highest per capita income in Central America.