Irregular migration is one of the great challenges of the region and as such, it requires coordinated solutions between our countries.

Authorities from the governments of Panama, Colombia and the United States met to coordinate efforts to address irregular migration in the Darién area. In this meeting, “it was agreed to strengthen intelligence work with the support and cooperation of the United States and strengthen the exchange of information between the prosecutors’ offices of Panama and Colombia,” according to the Ministry of Security.

The meeting was in Apartadó, Colombia and they toured the binational base of Alto Limón.

The US delegation was headed by the United States ambassador to Panama, as well as with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Álvaro Leyva, and the Minister of Defense of Colombia, Iván Velásquez, in order to develop a coordinated action plan between the three parties.

“This approach aims to coordinate efforts to safeguard the lives of migrants crossing the Darién, dismantle criminal organizations that control human trafficking networks, combat misinformation about the alleged benefits of undertaking the dangerous journey and mitigate the impact that migration has on the environment and the receiving communities,” the U.S. Embassy reported in a press release.

Irregular migration is one of the great challenges of the region and as such, it requires coordinated solutions between our countries,” Ambassador Aponte said during the tour of the binational base.

I hope that we can continue to coordinate actions with the governments of Panama and Colombia to protect the lives of those who embark on this dangerous journey and that we can guarantee a safe, orderly and humane migration,” he added.

Last year, the US government invested about $18 million to finance humanitarian assistance projects of international and non-governmental organizations for the care of migrants at the Darién border.