U.S., Colombia, and Panama to Boost Migration Cooperation

The United States, Colombia, and Panama pledged to intensify their cooperation on regional migration policies following a meeting in the Colombian city of Cartagena.

Their collaboration aims to fight transnational criminal organizations that exploit migrants, work to promote regularization, improve control and regulation mechanisms for those in transit, and address mechanisms of protection for the vulnerable.

US Homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, saying: "The progress our three countries made today and the continued cooperation of our teams in the weeks ahead will contribute significantly to our collective and to our individual security. It will reduce the smuggling of people through the Gulf of Uraba and the Darien province. it will lead to concrete and realistic actions that 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."

Also minister of foreign affairs of Colombia, Luis Gilberto said: "The three countries commit to strengthening cooperation to dismantle migrant trafficking and smuggling networks, improve humanitarian assistance to migrant populations, and seek protection mechanisms for vulnerable groups, including humanitarian options."

The three countries also reaffirmed their commitment to addressing irregular migration through a multidimensional approach, emphasizing human rights and shared responsibility.

Last year, an unprecedented 520,000 migrants risked their lives to cross the Darien Gap, a dense jungle on Panama's border with Colombia, often at the mercy of human traffickers, to reach the U.S.