U.S., Colombia and Panama agree to increase crackdown on regional migration route through more deportations

High ranking officials from the United States, Colombia and Venezuela met in Cartagena de Indias this week to discuss increasing their cooperation on addressing irregular migration.

Concretely, the three countries discussed different policies with this aim, including efforts for the socioeconomic regularization and integration of migrants, as well as promoting and respecting lawful pathways that protect migrants in vulnerable conditions.

The increased repatriation of migrants as well as increasing development aid were other key topics in the meeting, chaired by Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luis Gilberto Murillo, United States Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas, and the Panamanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Javier Eduardo Martinez-Ach.

The three high-ranking officials highlighted the progress made by their respective governments in the last three years, saying their joint collaboration has contributed to the regularization of 2.5 million Venezuelan migrants in Colombia, established Safe Mobility Offices that provide access to lawful pathways to the U.S. as well as expanding Colombia's regularization of Venezuelans not covered under its temporary protection status.

As for human trafficking, they committed to strengthening their cooperation to disband human trafficking and migrant smuggling networks, improving humanitarian assistance for migrant populations and other vulnerable groups.

While addressing members of the meeting, Alejandro Mayorkas said that the progress made by all three countries will contribute significantly to reducing the smuggling of people through the Gulf of Urabá and the Darién Gap, as well as leading governments to concrete and realistic actions that will hold smugglers accountable.

"It will further our work to promote regularization; improve control and regulation mechanisms for those in transit; bolster information sharing; and address mechanisms of protection for the vulnerable," Mayorkas said.

The three partner countries also committed to incentivizing dialogue with others across the region to reduce irregular migration by increasing safe, orderly and humane alternatives. They recognized that the irregular flow of migrants along the Colombia-Panama border has global implications involving more than 90 different nationalities, as some enter the region through third countries.

The representatives from Colombia and Panama emphasized the importance of protecting strategic ecosystems and local communities along their shared border. One of the plans agreed was to strengthen Colombian and Panamanian state presence along the border as well as improving control and regulation mechanisms by sharing information and using identity verification.

"The Biden-Harris Administration is eager to continue expanding the collaboration among our three countries," Mayorkas said in a statement. "As well as with our partners throughout the Hemisphere, in implementing, and strictly enforcing, a strategy for addressing the historic migratory flows that are challenging our countries," he added.