José Raúl Mulino, president-elect of Panama, promised to deport migrants who enter the country through the Darién jungle, bound for the United States.

“To finish the Darién Odyssey, which has no reason to be (…), we will start with international help a repatriation process with full compliance with the human rights of all the people who are there,” he said.

The new president of the Panamanians referred to the issue during a speech at the event in which the National Scrutiny Board formally proclaimed him as the next head of state for the 2024-2029 period.

“So that those there [in nations of South America] and those who would like to come know that here the one who arrives will be returned to his country of origin,” added the 64-year-old lawyer, who must take charge on July 1.

Bordering Colombia, the dangerous Darién’s Cap has become a mandatory step for migrants seeking to reach U.S. territory through the border with Mexico.

According to official figures, more than 520,000 people, mostly Venezuelans, crossed the inhospitate jungle in 2023, forcing the authorities of Panama to allocate funds to serve them during their passage through the country.

Mulino’s announcement, regarding migration, gains strength with his choice because in the campaign he had mentioned his intention to “close” the jungle border of 266 km in length and 575,000 hectares of area.

The lawyer, who replaced as a candidate the disqualified former president Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014), added in his speech: “Our Darién is not a transit route, no sir, that is our border.”

But the issue of migration does not only affect Panama, since the countries of Central America also face complications due to the hundreds of thousands of migrants who travel through the isthmus after crossing the inhospitate jungle on foot.

United States estimates indicate that about 2.8 million migrants enter the American Union irregularly a year, which increases the pressure on the president and candidate for re-election, Democrat Joe Biden, while the Republicans of his rival Donald Trump accuse him of doing nothing about it.