(Prensa Latina)A Security Ministry report revealed more than 9,000 illegal migrants have received humanitarian care in Panama in recent months, out of which 2,400 remain in the country today.
According to the Minister of Security, Alexis Bethancourt, the migrants were given food, medical care and protection, before being authorized to continue their journey to the United States.
The director of the National Immigration Service Javier Carrillo explained that the 9,000 people who entered through this route are mostly Haitians coming from Ecuador and Brazil, ‘that pretended to be Africans for the fear of being deported.’
He said that according to intelligence reports, out of the 50,000 Haitians who immigrated to Brazil in 2010, following the earthquake that struck the Caribbean country, many have decided to leave the South American giant because of the economic situation.
Despite the closure of the south border crossing by Panama in March, the migrants enter through the communities of Laja Blanca and Peñitas, both in the middle of the jungle and which access the Panamerican highway, he pointed out.
It was recently highlighted that if South American nations do not stop entry into their territories, illegal migration will continue to affect Central America.
