US Border Crisis: Panama's new president pledges major shut down

Panama's President-elect Jose Raul Mulino has vowed to alleviate pressure on the US border by deporting migrants using the Latin American country as a migration route.

President-elect Mulino plans to close the migration route through Panama, known as the Darien Gap, which has seen over 500,000 migrants cross in the past year, according to a Voice of America (VOA) report.

Mulino asserts Panama's treacherous Darien Gap is not merely a "transit route" but constitutes the country's border.

Previously, Panama helped bus migrants through the Gap, aiding thousands in reaching the US-Mexico border.

The Darien Gap, despite its dangers, has become a preferred route for migrants and is frequently exploited by criminal organisations.

According to the VOA report, Mulino plans to discourage migrants and criminal groups by quickly deporting them.

"Because when we start to deport people here in an immediate deportation plan, the interest for sneaking through Panama will decrease," Mulino said of the plan.

"I assure you they are going to say that going through Panama is not attractive because they are deporting you."

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