A US-backed plan to stop
migrants from crossing the lawless Darién Gap will likely fail and only push desperate people further into the hands of merciless people-trafficking organisations, migration experts have warned.
The US Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday that it had brokered a deal with the Colombian and Panamanian governments to halt migrants crossing the land bridge on their journey northward to the US.
The communique gave little information on how migrants would be stopped but the homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas,
told the Spanish news agency EFE that any illegal migrants making the trip will be “turned back”.
Given that the Darién Gap is a lawless region run by armed groups, it is likely the plan would require militarisation, a scenario which Nicole Phillips, legal director of Haitian Bridge Alliance, an immigration policy non-profit, described as “terrifying”.
Facing pressure from conservatives, the Biden administration is trying to cut down on irregular migration and has set its sights on the booming foot traffic through the Darién.
Deal with Colombia and Panama aims to halt refugees crossing the lawless jungle region, but some say dangers will only increase
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