Government authorities reviewed the draft of the National Plan against the Smuggling of Migrants (2024-2029) that would contribute to the effective punishment of this crime and develop a specific framework for the prevention of smuggling of migrants and related activities.

The Deputy Minister of Public Security, Ivor Pitti, indicated that the development of the National Plan against the Smuggling of migrants is the result of the government’s commitment to the fight against transnational organized crime and is framed in the provisions of Law 36 of May 24, 2013, which adopts measures for the prevention and assistance to victims of migrant smuggling by air, sea, and land, as well as for the fight against it.

He also said that once the Plan is socialized, discussed, validated and has been signed as an Executive Decree, it will become a tool that will allow the various actors involved in the prevention and fight against this crime to bring adequate attention to victims.

The director in charge of the National Migration Service, María Isabel Saravia, urged all those involved to make contributions to the coordination of the Plan, which will benefit the country.

Likewise, the IOM National Officer of Migration Management, Idiam Osorio, indicated that the organization is committed to continue strengthening the efforts of the Panamanian Government to prevent the smuggling of migrants, through the creation of capacities at the national and institutional level to detect, prevent and investigate cases of this crime.

In addition to raising the national migrant smuggling policy to the State agenda, Law 36 of May 24, 2013, also establishes the creation of the Unit for Migrant Smuggling Affairs (UATIM for its Spanish acronym) as a technical administrative unit of the National Migration Service.

Panama is a country of transit and destination, where work has been done to adapt its internal rules and policies to promote regular, orderly and safe migration, respecting international conventions on migration and human rights.

Also participating in the review were the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Janaina Tewaney Mencomo; the United Nations resident coordinator in Panama, Ana Patricia Graça; Azael Samaniego, Deputy Secretary General of the Public Prosecutor's Office; the Senior Prosecutor specialized against organized crime of the Public Prosecutor's Office, Emeldo Márquez; IOM National Officer for Migration Management, Idiam Osorio; as well as representatives of the security forces, public institutions, civil society and international organizations.

These activities were completed within the framework of the Western Hemisphere Program (WHP), which is being implemented by IOM and financed by the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) of the United States Department of State. For more information, contact IOM Panama's communications team via iompanama@iom.int.