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illegal immigration

Panama Elects President Vowing Shutdown Of Key Routes To US Used By Over Half A Million Migrants

Published

9 months ago

3 minute read

From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By JASON HOPKINS

 

A tiny Central American country’s new president-elect is vowing to shut down a key corridor heavily used by migrants to enter the U.S.

Panamanian voters on Sunday elected center-right candidate Jose Raul Mulino as their new leader. The president-elect has notably vowed to shut down the trails used by hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants that run through the Darien Gap, a vast jungle region that sits across the Panama-Colombia border, and return them back to their home countries.

The 64-year-old lawyer was elected on a largely conservative platform, pledging to run a pro-private enterprise, pro-investment government and a crackdown on drug cartels, according to Bloomberg.

“The border of the United States, instead of being in Texas, moved to Panama,” Mulino said on the campaign trail, according to the Guardian. “We’re going to close the Darien and we’re going to repatriate all these people.”

Panama has served as a pivotal transit country for migrants beginning their journey in South America. More than half a million migrants crossed the Darien Gap en route to the U.S. in 2023, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

That number was double the nearly 250,000 migrants that crossed in 2022 and a significant increase from the few hundred who would cross annually a decade prior. While most of the migrants that cross the Darien Gap are Venezuelan nationals, others come from Ecuador, Haiti and also Africa and Asian countries.

With more than 90% of the votes tallied, Mulino held roughly 34% of the vote, a clear plurality over the 25% carried by nearest rival Ricardo Lombana, according to Bloomberg, and he is now due to assume office on July 1.

The number of illegal immigrants crossing the Darien Gap is expected to beat last year’s record, Juan Pappier, the Americas deputy director at Human Rights Watch, said to the Guardian. Given the first few months, the number could be as high as 700,000 or even reach 800,000 in 2024.

Mulino’s presidential victory and vow to close the gap are happening as the U.S. is months out from a presidential election, where illegal immigration has become a top concern among voters. The U.S.-Mexico border has experienced record-setting illegal migration under the current administration.

Since President Joe Biden took office, at least 6 million encounters have taken place at the southern border.

It remains to be seen how Mulino can effectively stop the flow of migrants through Panama.

Pappier framed the idea of shutting down the Darien Gap to be “virtually impossible“, given the rough terrain and dangerous drug cartels that have a presence in the region, according to the Guardian. Other experts have questioned whether Mulino is simply saying something American leaders want to hear, given the relative indifference Panamanian citizens actually have for irregular migration at the moment.

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illegal immigration

50,000 Students Missing: Trudeau’s Immigration Circus Hits New Low

Published on January 15, 2025

By

The Opposition with Dan Knight
Dan Knight

Canada’s schools cash in while international students vanish—leaving Canadians with the bill and a broken system

Well, well, well—Canada’s immigration system strikes again, and this time it’s not just a sieve; it’s a black hole. According to a Globe and Mail article Nearly 50,000 international students—students who were supposed to be enriching Canada’s universities and colleges—are nowhere to be found. Poof! Gone. Maybe they’re working under the table, maybe they’ve crossed into the U.S., or maybe they’re just laughing at how easy it is to game Justin Trudeau’s broken system. But hey, who’s counting? Certainly not Trudeau.

This is what happens when you turn the immigration system into a glorified Ponzi scheme. Schools rake in the cash—because international students pay through the nose—but don’t bother checking whether these students ever show up to class. Why would they? There’s no downside for the institutions, no accountability, and Trudeau’s Liberals aren’t exactly known for cracking down on their woke immigration utopia.

Now, let’s talk numbers. almost 20,000 students from India alone didn’t show up—but don’t worry, the RCMP is “reaching out” to India. Reaching out? What does that mean, sending a polite email asking, “Hey, have you seen our students?” Meanwhile, half the students from Rwanda just ghosted. Half! But Trudeau wants us to believe this isn’t a policy failure—it’s just a little “compliance hiccup.” Sure, and my Labrador runs NASA.

And here comes Immigration Minister Marc Miller with his tough-guy act: schools might lose their ability to admit international students if they don’t submit compliance reports. Oh, bravo! That’ll show them! Never mind that this system has been a cash-grab free-for-all for years under Trudeau. Never mind that these so-called reforms are like slapping duct tape on a sinking ship.

Let’s be honest: Trudeaus Liberals doesn’t care about fixing this mess. Why would he? The whole point is to create chaos now so that when the Conservatives take power, they inherit this dumpster fire. Then, when Pierre Poilievre or whoever tries to clean it up, the Liberals will wail and gnash their teeth, screaming, “Look how mean and anti-immigrant the Conservatives are!” It’s a trap, and it’s classic Trudeau—leave the house in flames and then blame the firefighters when they show up.

Meanwhile, Canadians are left footing the bill. Skyrocketing rents, overcrowded hospitals, and universities that look more like visa factories than places of learning. Trudeau doesn’t care. This isn’t about improving Canada—it’s about looking good on the world stage and keeping the global elite happy.

So here’s the takeaway: Canada’s immigration system is a joke, and the punchline is Justin Trudeau. Schools profit, students disappear, and regular Canadians suffer. The Liberals don’t care about accountability; they care about keeping their woke agenda intact while setting traps for the next government. The result? A country that’s being gamed by everyone except the people it’s supposed to serve. Pathetic. But hey, it’s Trudeau’s Canada, so what did you expect?

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-international-students-school-attendance-data/

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Daily Caller

As Violent Venezuelan Gang Plagues US, Biden DHS Issues Deportation Protections For Migrants From … Venezuela

Published on January 11, 2025

By

Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gangbangers took control of apartment buildings in Aurora, Colorado, in 2024

 

From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By Jason Hopkins

The Biden administration rolled out deportation protections to nearly a million foreign nationals living in the United States, including hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans.

More than 900,000 beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will be allowed to register for an 18-month extension, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Friday. The massive roll out — just days before President Joe Biden leaves office and President-elect Donald Trump returns to power — includes TPS extensions for roughly 600,000 Venezuelans living in the country.

The extension came on the same day the U.S. government declared new sanctions against Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro. The deportation protections also follow growing anxiety over the presence of Tren de Aragua, an international crime syndicate that originated in Venezuela and has since wreaked havoc on American communities.

“The extension of TPS is due to extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent eligible Venezuelan nationals from safely returning,” DHS said. “After reviewing the country conditions in Venezuela and consulting with interagency partners, it was determined that an 18-month TPS extension is warranted based on the severe humanitarian emergency the country continues to face due to political and economic crises under the inhumane Maduro regime.”

“These conditions have contributed to high levels of crime and violence, impacting access to food, medicine, healthcare, water, electricity, and fuel,” the DHS statement continued.

First established by the federal government in 1990, TPS provides certain deportation protections and work eligibility to those who receive its designation, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The White House may designate TPS for foreign nationals residing in the U.S. whose home countries are experiencing any number of situations that may make it dangerous for them to return, such as an ongoing military conflict or natural disaster.

Following Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat in November, several Democratic lawmakers pleaded with Biden to dole out new TPS extensions before he left office, calling the remaining days he has left a “critical window” before the Trump administration comes into power and cracks down on illegal immigration. President-elect Donald Trump has expressed interest in winding down TPS benefits.

Had the designation not been extended, Venezuelans currently enjoying TPS would’ve been obligated to leave the U.S. by April. Their 18-month extension means they are eligible to remain in the country until at least October 2026, according to DHS.

Venezuelans, experiencing incredible political and economic instability since Maduro came to power, have left their home country en masse in the past several years, with the destination of choice for many being the U.S. However, among the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan nationals making their way to the U.S. have been confirmed members of Tren de Aragua.

An internal investigation concluded that Tren de Aragua gangbangers took control of apartment buildings in Aurora, Colorado, in 2024 and have utilized the area to bolster their criminal enterprise. In December, a couple in Aurora had been allegedly taken hostage by suspected members of the gang, dragged to one of their apartment buildings and tortured.

An internal DHS document stated that hundreds of migrants in the U.S. are potentially connected to the gang.

“As a part of our work to counter [Tren de Aragua] TdA, DHS has an ongoing operation to crack down on gang members through re-screening certain individuals previously encountered, in addition to the rigorous screening and vetting at the border,” a DHS spokesperson stated to the Daily Caller News Foundation when the report was leaked. “All individuals confirmed or suspected to be gang members are referred for criminal prosecution or detained and placed into Expedited Removal.”

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