Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), recently traveled to Panama. There, he signed a Bilateral Arrangement on Migration and Protection between the United States and Panama.
The agreement outlined the governments' collaborative efforts to boost migration management, increase stabilization efforts, and promote access to legal pathways and protection for those in the area.
“The countries in our region are facing this challenge together, and we must work together to address it," Mayorkas said at a press conference during his trip to Panama.
Mayorkas outlined plans for international cooperation to deal with these issues.
“Every country must do its part," he said, according to a press release from the DHS. "We will continue working with partners in the hemisphere to implement a coordinated approach to humane border management that includes improving access to protection and legal pathways, stabilization efforts, and protecting the integrity of our borders.”
The trip ran from April 18 to April 20. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Mayorkas in Panama, according to the press release. The pair met with Panama's President Laurentino Cortizo Cohen during the trip, as well as the nation's foreign minister and public security minister.
Mayorkas toured the Darién region and then visited the Panama Canal with Blinken, the press release noted.
