José Raúl Mulino warned that irregular migrants who arrive in the Central American country will be fined between one thousand and five thousand dollars.

Irregular migrants who enter Panama from Colombia through the Darién jungle, on their route to the United States, will be fined up to 5,000 dollars, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino warned on Thursday (10/31/2024).

“Any person who enters” the country “violating the immigration checkpoints, land, air or sea, will be fined an amount ranging from one thousand dollars to five thousand dollars, depending on the severity of the violation,” Mulino said at his weekly press conference.

The president made these statements six days after an executive decree that increases fines for migrant groups was published in the official gazette, in an attempt to stop entry through the jungle.

According to the new rule, the irregular migrant who does not pay the fine “will not be able to leave the country” and, “if they do not have the economic resources to comply with the imposed sanction, they will proceed with their deportation.” However, the decree stipulates that the sanction “must be adjusted so that it is accessible and [migrant groups] can pay it before leaving the national territory.”

The Darién has become a corridor for migrants who, from South America, try to reach the United States through Central America and Mexico.

In 2023, more than 520,000 people crossed the jungle, where they face dangers such as mighty rivers, wild animals and criminal gangs. Others arrive wounded and penniless at Panamanian checkpoints, where basic services are delivered to migrant groups, before they continue their journey to the border with Costa Rica.

So far in 2024, about 283,000 migrants have entered Panama through the jungle, according to official figures, 37% less than in the same period of 2023. The vast majority are Venezuelans, although there are also Colombians, Ecuadorians, Haitians and Chinese.

The Panamanian government has launched a program, funded by the United States, to deport those who cross the Darién. “We hope to continue every week with these repatriation flights,” Mulino said.