On May 5, Panamanians will vote for a latest president. The consequence of this election can have consequences for way over its 4.4 million residents; it could change the migration reality for the a whole lot of 1000’s of individuals traveling from South America, Asia, and Africa who go through the Central American country en path to the United States.
Leading within the polls is José Raúl Mulino, a candidate for Realizando Metas (Realizing Goals), a right-wing populist party founded by disgraced president Ricardo Martinelli. He has vowed to shut down the Darién Gap, a densely forested jungle area that migrants must traverse to enter Panama from the bordering country of Colombia.
“We’re going to shut Darién and we’re going to repatriate every one in every of these people, respecting their human rights,” said Raúl Mulino in April.
For many Panamanians, there was no migrant crisis before 2022. After passing through the Darién gap, migrants passed through the country on government buses to the Costa Rican border. But after a shift in US migrant policy sent many back to Central America a pair years ago, a whole lot have since moved to Panama City and a handful of small towns. Residents have begun responsible them for crime and for overwhelming their sanitation systems.
Though evangelicals have largely been on the sidelines, many leaders say they need to have done more.
“The church doesn’t see the refugee problem as their very own problem,” said Panamanian missionary Robert Bruneau, a regional leader with United World Mission. “They imagine it’s something the state should do and will not be aware of the nice opportunity they should graciously and honorably serve someone who bears the image of God.”
A treacherous journey
With its mountainous rural terrain and long-standing control by Colombian gangs, the Darién Gap is one of the vital treacherous passages of the arduous journey undertaken by migrants heading north. Few communities live in its swamps and jungles, rendering it one in every of the world’s most dangerous migration routes.
Immigrants first traveled through the region starting within the Nineteen Nineties, when Colombian residents used the jungle to flee guerilla groups and flee to Panama or elsewhere. In the early 2000s, greater than 7 million Venezuelans traveled through Central America and thru the Darién Gap as they sought refuge within the United States through the Mexican border. Today, migrants from places as diverse as Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Haiti, Nepal, and China (who first fly into Colombia or Brazil) follow the identical dangerous path.
As recently as 2011, fewer than 300 migrants crossed the Colombian border. Last yr, the number surged to 520,000. Through the tip of April this yr, greater than 135,000 people have entered Panama. And about 120,000 children crossed the Darién Gap last yr, many unaccompanied, with roughly half under the age of 5.
Survivors who make it through the forest arrive at camps, established by the Panamanian government, often affected by health issues because of extreme exertion, malnutrition, or diseases transmitted by mosquitoes or contaminated water.
World Vision is one in every of a handful of Christian organizations serving migrants passing through the Darién Gap and works with churches to offer food, clothing, security, and legal guidance to those passing through the region.
“[These people] don’t migrate by selection,” Mishelle Mitchell, a World Vision spokesperson for Latin America and the Caribbean, told CT. “They flee hunger, war, poverty, and deserve the proper to be respected.”
Unseen and unheard
After recuperating in camps, the federal government offers migrants two ways of constant their journey: For roughly $40, they’ll travel in privately operated buses to the Costa Rican border. Or they’ll go to the border of Costa Rica and Nicaragua for around $80 to $90. The journey, which takes lower than a day, keeps migrants from traveling on foot, a typical scene in most Central American countries. It also largely keeps them out of sight and out of mind, says Gustavo Gumbs, an evangelical pastor who began working with migrants nearly a decade ago.
“The church was not awake to the refugee problem,” he said. “Even today, there are those that are either unaware of migrants or will not be mobilized to assist them.”
Evangelicals make up 22 percent of the population, in comparison with 65 percent of Catholics. But greater than a dozen Catholic organizations work within the Darién region, led by Cáritas, the international arm of the Vatican for human rights, food security, and sustainable development.
In March, in a letter, Pope Francis addressed a bunch of migrants who met bishops and native authorities in Lajas Blancas, a city near the Darién Gap, trying to search out common ground with them as a son of Italian immigrants who went to Argentina “seeking a greater future.”
“Migrant brothers and sisters, always remember your human dignity,” he wrote. “Do not be afraid to look others in the attention, since you will not be a throwaway; you too are a part of the human family and of the family of God’s children.”
Gumbs began Fundación de Asistencia a Migrantes (FAM) after feeling like he had a Christian responsibility to assist those he saw in need in Panama City.
“We had an explosion within the variety of migrants,” he said. “The government admitted that it couldn’t deal with everyone.”
In 2016, he began collecting donations from churches of food, clothing, and hygiene items to take to migrants in Darién. Currently, greater than 100 volunteers travel to the region every day to assist migrants.
For years, Panama’s camps and bus system meant that few migrants interacted with locals. But in 2022, migrants began to return to other Latin American countries after the shift in US policy. Many arrived in Panama City.
“Suddenly, we had 10,000 people to feed,” said Gumbs, who picked up food from churches and picked up donations from other Christians to pay for plane tickets for migrants going home.
“For the primary time in a few years, all denominations got here together to do something together in Panama,” he said.
The success of the initiative led the Panamanian government to acknowledge FAM’s efforts, which now participates in migration discussions with internationally recognized organizations reminiscent of UNHCR and the Red Cross.
“As Matthew 5:16 says, even in the event that they will not be believers, they provide because of God once they see the nice works we do,” he said.
Even so, Panamanian Christians know the sum of their efforts has been modest.
“We are a small country. What we are able to do is insufficient; it’s like attempting to stop a hemorrhage with a Band-Aid,” said Roderick Burgos, an evangelical social services leader.
For Panamanians, the influx of migrants is discomforting. Once sleepy towns, cities near the Colombian borders have change into hubs for refugees as people wait for buses. Locals often charge migrants three to 4 times the previous amount for food, says Gumbs. Despite Darién being home to quite a few endangered species including jaguars, macaws, and tapirs, garbage from the flow of individuals is in every single place, further threatening the animals and their habitat.
In 2020, Panamanian authorities blamed migrants for burning down reception centers in La Peñita, near the Colombian border, and in Lajas Blancas, by the border with Costa Rica. In March, 44 migrants were arrested following a brawl that damaged a part of a support center in San Vicente.
“The population basically could be very upset [that so many people are passing through Darién],” said Jocabed Solano Miselis, a missionary to Panama’s indigenous peoples. “It’s not xenophobia, it’s the exhaustion of local resources.”
A latest situation
Migration won’t be a top issue for many Panamanian evangelical voters, most of whom see the strongest connection between their faith and a socially conservative agenda. These convictions have led growing numbers to run for seats in Panama’s National Assembly and in city government.
“For a few years, churches and Christians stayed away from politics, positioning themselves as intercessors,” said pastor César Forero of the New Life Family Restoration Center in Panama City.
But in 2014, the federal government announced a latest sex education law that evangelicals believed would open the door for schools to show pro-LGBT messages. Over the course of two years, pressure groups formed, and evangelicals teamed up with Catholics to arrange in opposition.
“I assumed that if we didn’t have about 10,000 people in a march, the law would pass,” said Burgos. “We had about 300,000 show up.”
After the federal government backed down in 2016, Panamanian Christians discovered a political strength that they had previously never imagined. In the last general election in 2019, candidates began publicly identifying themselves as evangelicals.
Now, in 2024, “lots of the aspirants are proposing pro-family policies,” said Forero. This includes attempting to introduce a ban on same-sex marriage and advocating against issues like abortion and euthanasia, none of that are legal in Panama and currently face no proposals attempting to legalize them.
In this regard, Panama already boasts a few of Latin America’s most socially conservative laws. Last February, the Supreme Court upheld a choice affirming that marriage is between a person and a lady. In April of this yr, a coalition of LGBTQ organizations asked candidates to sign a pact expanding the rights of their community, including guaranteeing support for same-sex marriage. Seven of the eight presidential candidates declined to sign the document.
In the week leading as much as the elections, the Evangelical Alliance of Panama called for a day of fasting and prayer on May 1 and asked Christians to guage candidates by several criteria, including fear of God, track record of transparency, pro-life stance, defense of the standard family, concrete solutions to issues like education and health, fight against corruption, and desire to construct a greater country. Corruption, and crimes related to it, appears to be a principal concern for voters. Last yr, previous president Martinelli, who was current candidate Mulino’s mentor, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for money laundering.
In general, Latin American evangelicals vote for right-wing candidates, but public Panamanian polls don’t include a spiritual affiliation query, so it’s not clear which candidate could have essentially the most support from believers.
For the a whole lot of 1000’s crossing the jungle on foot, nevertheless, there are decisions which might be more urgent—and the outcomes from the ballot could make a difference
“We imagine in God’s justice, and justice pertains to the dignity of people, each residents and immigrants,” said Solano Miselis.
