By Peter Marko Tase
The main objective of Erika Mouynes’ official visit to Washington, D.C., on September 30th, 2021, was to discuss the immigration and security issues stemming from illegal crossing of the United States border with Mexico; the border towns of the state of Texas have become the main destination for over seventy thousand Central American and Caribbean citizens that are fleeing their native countries and marching towards the U. S. Soil.
Mrs. Erika Mouynes, Panama’s Foreign Affairs Minister has shared grim and disheartening details about the current situation in her country, dealing directly with the major waves of illegal immigrants coming from Haiti and other countries, aspiring to reach America’s borders.
According to Minister Mouynes over 85,000 migrants have headed north, through Panama since January 1st, 2021. Over 20,000 immigrants have already crossed the US border and are currently hosted in Del Rio, Texas, and other places; waiting to enjoy America’s fresh air and immerse into the landscape of what is known and yearned by many Latin Americans as the American dream.
For U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, some individuals with ties to Al-Qaeda intending to travel to the United States were apprehended in Panama. In her meeting with Gonzales Minister Mouynes stated that a huge spike in refugees passing through Panama, has taken place, ranging from 800 individuals a month to 20,000 a month recently. Minister Mouynes has provided cogent intelligence and leadership towards better handling this regional crisis in Panama and beyond.
The Biden Administration must work closely with the authorities of Panama, and other Central American countries, to handle better this growing crisis and find ways to reduce human trafficking across Mexico.
In Guatemala, over 900 Haitian citizens and Central American migrants are crossing the country’s territory every single day.
Guatemala’s shelters are in full capacity and patience is wearing thin with the Mexican government’s slow pace of issuing permits so the Haitians can get past National Guard and National Immigration checkpoints.
At the same time, the Biden administration has not appropriately addressed the crisis in South Texas and the political decisions continue to create a major humanitarian catastrophe in the border towns of Texas.
On September 23rd, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) delivered remarks on the Senate floor to demand President Biden and his administration to take accountability for their disastrous political decisions that directly resulted in the crisis on U. S. southern border. As over 10,000 illegal immigrants have flooded the Del Rio International Bridge due to an overcapacity at migrant housing facilities. Senator Ted Cruz called on President Biden to enforce federal immigration law and protect the safety and security of Texas border communities.
Sen. Cruz on Senate Floor emphasized:
“I rise today to call attention to the humanitarian crisis that is happening right now in the state of Texas. Another one happening right now in Del Rio, Texas. Yet Another consequence of President Biden’s and vice president Harris’s dangerous refusal to enforce our laws, or to protect our border, and refusal that is causing people to die, that is causing young girls to be trafficked, that is causing drugs to pour into our state, and that is causing our communities to become much less safe. Right now, thousands of Haitians are camped under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas, after illegally entering our country. Six days ago, I went down to Del Rio myself to see firsthand what was going on, and why this was happening. The sheer number of people under the bridge took my breath away. People were struggling enormously, including infants, including young children. And I learned from authorities on the ground, what had happened, and that this was a man-made crisis.”
Today, Washington remains silent and impotent to provide a greater security landscape and furnish adequate federal tools, so that U. S. southern border is more secure, and waves of illegal immigrants are held at bay. Perhaps, the White House must proactively analyze and closely observe the political discourse and concrete actions taken by the current government of Slovenia, under the leadership of PM Janez Jansa; who has been very successful in thwarting illegal immigration flows coming from Europe’s eastern flanks and the Southern Mediterranean.
President Joe Biden refuses to accept reality and is reluctant to visit the Rio Grande Valley. Because if he goes, the TV cameras will come with him. As Sen. Cruz says: “the Democrats are counting on the corrupt corporate media to suddenly say, ‘Nothing to see here.'” The U. S. border challenge continues to be in the center stage, as the White House tries to sweep its incompetence under the rug.
