A. Situation Analysis
On 15 November 2015, a group of approximately 1,300 Cuban migrants flew to Ecuador and then travelled by their own means through Colombia to the border town of La Miel, Panama. The National Maritime Service of Panama (SENAN) in the province of Colon, mobilized the migrants to Puerto Obaldia in the province of Darien, where they completed a seven-day migratory process. They were then transferred by boat to Colon by SENAN, where Panamanian authorities requested the support of the Red Cross Society of Panama branch in Colon to assist with the provision of prehospital care and bottled water. Subsequently, the migrants took public transportation from Colon to Panama City and then toward the border with Costa Rica.
On 30 November 2015, 800 additional Cuban migrants arrived in Puerto Obaldia. By 4 December 2015, the number had increased to 1,460 Cuban migrants, which has remained largely unchanged to this date. The migrants have been waiting for more than a week to cross into Costa Rica, and they are unable to pay for either food or lodgings due to lack of funds. The migrants are sleeping outdoors in Puerto Obaldía waiting to cross through eastern Panama (through Carti via Chepo) to Panama City. The Red Cross Society of Panama covered all of the costs related to the first group of migrants. However, in view of this second group and probably others, the National Society considers it necessary to request a Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). The most vulnerable people among this migrant population include children, pregnant women, and older adults, and the disaggregation of gender information of number of kids, women and elderly is difficult to identify because the population’s demographics is constantly changing . According to the Panamanian newspaper La Prensa, 22,000 Cubans have left the island, and it is estimated that up to 13,000 are heading to Panama.
The large number of Cubans, who have legally entered Panamanian territory, in their desperate attempt to reach the United States (US), is becoming a problem for immigration authorities. The migration director stated that some 50 people per day were entering the country at the onset of this wave of Cuban migrants, a number that has risen to 200 per day in recent weeks. The Cuban migrants are arriving from South America, as opposed to past decades when migrants attempted to reach the United States on rafts. Panamanian authorities have given them seven days to legalize their status in Panama, but virtually none of them return to the Immigration Office to update their status.
In an attempt to regulate this outflow since Nicaragua closed its borders, the Panamanian Government has restricted the number of people allowed to pass through Puerto Obaldia to 60 people per day, therefore increasing the number of migrants in Puerto Obaldía. The basic service structures in Puerto Obaldia, a small rural community of 468 inhabitants, have collapsed due to the large number of migrants arriving in the community. The Panamanian government has lifted its 60-person restriction; however, logistics capabilities only allows for the exit of only 271 people per day, including children since there is only one daily Air Panama charter flight that– can carry a maximum of 21 people; the Air Panama flight is the only options since children are forbidden to travel on ships according to national regulations.