Friday
Friday 6th December 2024.
December 5, 2024
US President-elect Donald Trump is drawing up a list of countries to which he could deport migrants when their home countries refuse to accept them, including Panama, NBC News reported .
Among the countries to which migrants are said to be sent are: Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas and Grenada, sources told the media.
The president-elect’s team is reportedly looking for alternatives to deport undocumented immigrants from countries with which the United States does not have good relations, such as Venezuela or Cuba.
On July 29, 2024, Panama suspended diplomatic relations with Venezuela. In addition, since July 31, air connections between the two countries have been restricted, as a measure taken by the government of Nicolás Maduro in rejection of the interference of these countries in the electoral results.
In 2019, during his first term, Trump sent migrants to Guatemala as part of an agreement with that country to accept people from other countries seeking asylum in the United States.
According to NBC reports , at the time, asylum seekers who had recently crossed into the United States were being flown to Guatemala without knowing where they were going.
The practice continued under President Joe Biden’s administration but was halted during the pandemic.
“President Trump received a mandate from the American people to stop the invasion of illegal immigrants, secure the border, and deport the dangerous criminals and terrorists who make our communities less safe. He will deliver,” Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the Trump-Vance transition, told NBC .
The outlet reports that the transition team has already reached out to governments of potential host countries to negotiate agreements to accept deportation flights.
They also claim that Carmen Mora, spokesperson for the Panamanian government, stated that she “does not respond to assumptions and rumors.”
“We cannot speculate on this. We prefer to engage in dialogue with the new US administration once it takes office,” he said.
According to EFE, the Bahamas rejected the proposal, saying that it “does not have the resources to accommodate such a request.”
“This matter was raised with the Government of the Bahamas, but was reviewed and firmly rejected by the Prime Minister (Philip Davis),” the government statement said.
Currently, Panama and the United States have a memorandum of understanding in which the US administration “agrees to cover the cost of repatriation” of migrants who enter the country through the Darien jungle, on the border with Colombia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has not received any official communication regarding the proposal by the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump , in which he would include Panama among the countries to which he could deport migrants when their countries of origin refuse to accept them.
The statement stressed that, under international law, the country is not obliged to accept deportees of nationalities other than Panamanian.
The crisis at the Social Security Fund (CSS) faces not only technical challenges, but also political interference that aggravates the situation. The Minister of Economy and Finance, Felipe Chapman, has pointed out that former President Ricardo Martinelli, currently sheltered in the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama, is behind attempts to destabilize government initiatives aimed at resolving this crisis. From his diplomatic refuge, Martinelli actively participates in national politics, contravening the restrictions inherent to political asylum.
Martinelli’s actions appear to be aligned with those of the National Union of Construction and Similar Workers (Suntracs), which has called for protests at critical moments of public debate. Although direct collaboration has not been proven, this synchronicity raises suspicions about a possible coordination to stop government proposals.
It is important to note that Martinelli has been sentenced to 128 months in prison for money laundering in the New Business case, a sentence that has been confirmed in multiple courts. His aim appears to be to overturn this conviction, using his political influence to destabilise the government and avoid serving his sentence.
These maneuvers, far from responding to the interests of Panamanians, reveal a personal agenda that sacrifices the country’s well-being for political ambitions. Every day lost in this power game means another blow to the insured, retirees and future generations.
It is time to focus on building solutions. Proposals must be presented, analyzed and discussed responsibly, seeking consensus that prioritizes financial sustainability and social well-being. In the search for a solution, Panama cannot allow itself to create worse problems. This is the time to demonstrate leadership and commitment to the future of the country.
As the deadline for approving the reform of the Social Security Fund (CSS) approaches after December 8, since the Executive expects it to be approved by December 31 of this year, voices are emerging in defense of the project.
Within the ranks of the government itself and high-ranking officials of public entities and state-owned companies, people are beginning to close ranks in support of José Raúl Mulino’s proposal.
From the Minister of Economy and Finance, Felipe Chapman, who accused former President Ricardo Martinelli of wanting to generate “chaos” and political benefit with the CSS reforms, to the general director of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Authority, former deputy Raúl Fernández and recently the Panama Metro.
Fernández expressed on the social network X that it is time to guarantee the future of the CSS.
“The law presented by the Government seeks responsible, sustainable and viable solutions to preserve the benefits of all Panamanians. I support this initiative, developed by the greatest national experts, which prioritizes collective well-being. #CSS #PanamaUnited .”
Although two days ago the same group from Realizing Goals proposed a controversial alternative to generate income to finance pensions by charging a fee on certain financial transactions, the president of the National Assembly, Dana Castañeda Guardia, came out to ease tensions, to give support to the Executive.
“The RM bench and as president of the AN, we reaffirm our support for the Executive in its courageous commitment to face the challenge of the CSS from the beginning of its administration. It is time to analyze all the proposals and present viable alternatives to have a better CSS,” Castañeda said on the social network X.
Dinoska Yineth Montalvo, Minister of Government, also stated her position on the reform of the CSS and said that there are those who are promoting their own interests.
“There are only two groups: those of us who are interested in finding a solution to resolve the crisis of the Social Security Fund and those who are simply interested in using the situation of the debate on the reform of the Social Security Fund to serve their own interests . The fate of the Social Security Fund is in the hands of all of us. Let us make the right decisions for the country,” he said.
People entering the country can now digitally use the Traveler’s Affidavit at the Tocumen International Airport and the Panama Pacific International Airport, the National Customs Authority reported on Thursday, December 5 .
The entity reported that, to carry out this procedure, people must enter the page declaradeviajero.ana.gob.pa to complete the digital declaration and, subsequently, present the QR code at the Customs control point , known as carriles.
The entity explains that the system allows travelers to complete this process three days in advance, since the digital document must be presented by the traveler upon arrival in the country. The system is available to all passengers.
It is important to mention that the Traveler’s Affidavit also remains with the manual option for older adults, people with disabilities or those who do not have access to the technological system.
The National Customs Authority reported that it is working to expand the coverage of the digital sworn declaration at other airports in the country.
An arbitration panel of the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled in favor of Costa Rica in a dispute with Panama over the restrictions it imposed in 2019 and 2020 on the importation of a series of Costa Rican agricultural products.
According to the ruling circulated among member states on Thursday, the special group rejected Panama’s main argument that the restrictive measures in question were provisional due to the alleged “insufficient scientific evidence” provided by Costa Rica in the case of strawberries, pineapples, bananas and plantains.
Regarding the measures affecting the import of dairy and meat products, the WTO group – which acts within the framework of this organization’s dispute settlement system – found that the measures do not comply with the provisions of the (international) Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.
Panama said the ban on importing these products from 16 Costa Rican establishments was due to the fact that they had not renewed their health authorizations.
The process for resolving this trade dispute began in early 2021 with a request for bilateral consultations, which would lead to an arbitration panel if an amicable settlement was not reached.
The WTO panel’s report must now be formally adopted between 20 and 60 days from today.
If the party that considers itself the loser decides to appeal, the case will remain pending a final resolution at the WTO since its Appellate Body is not operational due to the blockade that the United States has exercised since 2019 for the designation of its new members.
A Panamanian and a Colombian were arrested on Thursday, December 5, while operating a boat in which they were transporting 937 packages of suspected drugs, in Western Panama.
The two people were arrested during an operation by the National Aeronaval Service (Senan) and the Drug Prosecutor’s Office of Western Panama.
The boat was located south of San Carlos. Pierangely Silva, a prosecutor, explained that they also seized a zip-lock bag with an illicit substance and three white bottles with alleged drugs.