Migrants are seen at temporary shelter during acting U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan's visit in the village of La Penita, Panama August 23, 2019. PANAMA CITY, Oct 20 Reuters - The presidents of Panama, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic on Wednesday asked for U.S. assistance in stemming the flow of thousands of migrants crossing the dangerous jungles that divide Panama and Colombia as they make their way to the United States.
On Wednesday, Panama's President Laurentino Cortizo hosted a meeting with Costa Rica's Luis Alvarado Quesada and Dominican Republic's Carlos Alvarado Quesada in Panama City where they discussed the burgeoning migrant crisis.
Cortizo said that so far this year a record number of more than 100,000 undocumented migrants have trekked north from Colombia through the Darien Gap, a lawless jungle teeming with everything from deadly snakes to anti-government guerrillas.
The United Nations Children's agency UNICEF said earlier this month that some 19,000 migrant children have crossed the Darien Gap so far in 2021, almost three times higher than the total for the previous five years. Washington said the situation demands concrete solutions and that Cortizo should play an active role in assisting.
The Latin American leaders agreed that our foreign ministers urgently articulate with the U.S. authorities and other countries to look for concrete measures, he added.
The presidents discussed the possibility of establishing a strategy of investments and job creation in Haiti, home to many migrants.
Joe Biden said that he is seeking a meeting with U.S. President Cortizo during the United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
In early 2021, Panamanian authorities had warned of a possible crisis after closing the borders that had been closed for months because of the pandemic.
By September, the immigration authorities of the neighboring Colombia reported a record number of 91,305 migrants who entered the Central American nation by September. Of these, 56,676 were Cubans and 12,870 Haitians.