Terrorists are easily blending in with the waves of migrants entering Panama to reach the United States, according to Panama’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Erika Mouynes.
“Members of terrorist organizations and sanctioned parties have found their way into Panama, where they are not permitted to enter in the first place,” she warned.
“Panama’s biometric identification measures have recognized and detained individuals linked to extremist groups attempting to pass through the country with migrants.”
In a recent opinion piece, she called out Vice President Kamala Harris, the Biden administration’s appointed border czar, for not visiting Panama during her recent trip to Central America.
“Vice President Kamala Harris’s recent trip to Central America — her first official mission abroad — is emblematic of the weight the White House has placed on the issue of migration,” Mouynes wrote.
Mouynes also begged the U.S. for help with what she called a “humanitarian crisis.”
“Unfortunately, however, Panama was left off the itinerary of her two-day trip, which included stops in Guatemala and Mexico. This, despite the unprecedented number of migrants attempting to cross our border through a treacherous area of jungle known as the Darien Gap,” the official wrote.
The Darien Gap is a dense tropical forest known for being a lawless region, making up parts of Columbia and Panama.
Panama, in Central America, is being used as a point of entry from South America. The Darien Gap area is known for being one of the most hazardous areas for people fleeing Central and South America.
Lax visa rules
Lax visa rules in many Central and South American countries have left the door open for people from other countries to enter, make their way through Panama and then Columbia, then on through Mexico into the United States.
Panamanian officials say they have detected terrorists blending with migrants to cross into the U.S. across the porous southern border.
Officials have found terrorists among migrants claiming to be from Cuba, Africa, Haiti, Asia, and the Middle East attempting to reach Canada and the United States through Panama.
The Biden administration has maintained that families and asylum-seekers are the bulk of the migrants crossing the southern border.
Mouynes disagrees.
“Left unchecked, this migrant issue will compound — and its ramifications will reach far beyond Panama’s borders,” she wrote.
“Even as Panama remains steadfast in its commitment to care for the migrants who have put themselves in our care — particularly those who are victims of human trafficking — the scale of the humanitarian crisis in our country and across the region demands international attention.”
