PANAMA CITY (AP) 鈥� Jos茅 Ra煤l Mulino was sworn in Monday as Panama鈥檚 next president, facing pressure to slow that connects his country with Colombia.
The 65-year-old former security minister has promised to shut down migration through the jungle-clad and largely lawless border.
More than half a million people and more than 190,000 people have crossed so far in 2024, with most of the migrants hailing from Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia and China.
鈥淚 won鈥檛 allow Panama to be an open path for thousands of people who enter our country illegally, supported by an international organization related to drug trafficking and human trafficking,鈥� Mulino said Monday, after he was sworn in. 鈥淚 understand that there are deep-rooted reasons for migration, but each country has to resolve its problems.鈥�
Last week on a visit to the Darien, Mulino announced he would who crossed into Panama. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was among those who attended his inauguration.
The U.S. role would largely be covering the cost of deportation flights. Panama鈥檚 Foreign Affairs Minister-designate Javier Mart铆nez Acha said Sunday that the U.S. would help cover the costs, but that the amounts were not yet set.
鈥淎s the key issue on his agenda, Mulino has promised to end irregular immigration through the Darien Gap,鈥� said Michael Shifter, adjunct professor at Georgetown University. 鈥淭he new president appears to be supremely committed to this idea.鈥�
鈥淗owever, it won鈥檛 be easy to carry out this policy, groups and interests can be expected to come out against it,鈥� Shifter said. The U.S. government will have to shoulder the costs of deportation, he said.
Panama鈥檚 active efforts to stop and deport migrants would be a massive shift. Under the outgoing administration, Panama had sought to help migrants cross the country quickly and in an orderly fashion. Migrants emerge from the jungle, register with authorities and are swept across the country to the Costa Rican border.
The presidents of Costa Rica and Colombia also attended the inauguration.
Strengthening enforcement efforts in Panama could potentially reduce the number of migrants reaching the U.S. border, at least for a time until new routes are established. But it could also force migrants to riskier paths and be a boon for smugglers.
Mulino won the election in May in a He replaced former President Ricardo Martinelli as candidate after the former leader was banned from running after 小蓝视频 sentenced to 10 years in prison for money laundering.
In addition to migration, Mulino will have to manage one of the world鈥檚 key trade routes, the Panama Canal, which was .
He will also have to find a way to plug a hole in Panama鈥檚 budget caused by the after popular protests.
On Monday, Mulino criticized the outgoing administration of President Laurentino Cortizo for leaving him a limping economy and high levels of public debt.
鈥淚 will have an administration mainly focused on resolving the problem of the great majority of Panamanians,鈥� Mulino said. 鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 mean getting rid of wealth, but rather combating poverty.鈥�
He promised to launch a program aimed at youth employment and an effort to rebuild the country鈥檚 roads and highways.
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Juan Zamorano, The Associated Press
