I'm John Batson with my colleague, Professor Evan Ellis of the U.S. Army War College.

Panama, Dateline Reuters, Panama City.

Panama Security Minister said that more than half of the migrants deported from the United States to transit point Panama,

had accepted voluntary repatriations to their home countries.

Now, why Panama?

That's the Darien Gap.

In order to cross into Mexico,

in order to cross into the United States,

the presumption was you fly into Ecuador or other stops that you

can enter without a visa or even with a creative visa. Transfer yourself across the continent to

Colombia, cross into Panama by water route, and then brave the 60 miles of unreconstructed

jungle, very dangerous, to reach the end of the Pan American Highway, where upon you were

bused by the Panamanians to the Costa Rican border, whereupon you were bused or helped from Costa Rica on your way to America.

That was then. This is now.

Professor, Panama was in the news recently,

and we talked of the remarks by the President of the United States

and the visit by the Secretary of State.

Now Panama is assisting in deportation. Is this part of the arrangement between the Secretary of

State? I don't remember a headline like this during the Biden administration.

John does appear to be one of the conversations and agreements that came out of Markerubio's

trip, of course, one that was a bit overshadowed by the focus on the Panama Canal and the

Chinese influence there.

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