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Panama slammed shut its border crossing with Colombia to Cuban migrants Monday, becoming the third Central American country to halt access to Cubans trying to reach the United States, where they receive fast-tracked residency.
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"We've taken the difficult decision to close the border with Colombia in the Puerto Obaldia area and in other parts of the border to prevent the trafficking of illegal immigrants," said Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela.
His announcement comes as nearly 4,000 other Cuban migrants began departing Panama on daily flights to northern Mexico.
Those Cubans had become stranded in Panama late last year after Costa Rica and Nicaragua, the next two countries north of Panama, decided to bar entry to Cubans.
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"Given the decision of other countries in Central America, specifically Nicaragua and Costa Rica, we have taken the difficult decision to close the border with Colombia in the area of Puerto Obaldia and other border points to irregular migrants," Varela added.
Nicaragua closed its border to Cubans in November. Costa Rica followed suit a month later to prevent a backlog on its own territory, leaving the thousands of Cubans to pile up in Panama with no easy route north.
Thousands of Cubans are leaving their island, typically by flying to Ecuador or other countries in South America to make a long and perilous overland trek through Central America and Mexico to get to the United States. The U.S. seeks to return any Cuban found crossing by sea to Florida.
Puerto Obaldia, a Caribbean seaside border port, serves as the only real point of entry from Colombia, relying on boat transport to get across.
The rest of the Panamanian-Colombian border is thick jungle rising from swamps, with no roads. Foot passage is possible, but extremely difficult and hazardous.
Cuba has repeatedly blamed the U.S.'s “wet-foot, dry-foot” migration policy for spurring the migration of Cubans to the United States. The policy grants Cubans privileged entry and a fast track to residency when they touch U.S. soil, encouraging migration despite failing to provide Cubans with safe or legal channels to reach the country.
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