Illegal crossing enablers cry broke under Trump's border crackdown: '$200 a day without fail'



Residents living around the Darién Gap, a jungle passage between Colombia and Panama, who once collected significant profits by aiding immigrants seeking to illegally cross into the U.S., are now crying broke under President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

On Wednesday, the Associated Press published a report on the local economies' recent collapse, featuring interviews with several locals.

'When Donald Trump won, everything came to a screeching halt.'

While the outlet stopped short of attributing the wave of illegal immigration to the former Biden administration's open border policies, it noted that local farmers traded in their agricultural jobs to pounce on the opportunity to profit off the immigration boom.

Manuel Orozco with the Inter-American Dialogue told the news outlet that the immigration spike around 2021 "became a business opportunity for a lot of people," including criminal organizations.

"It's like you've discovered a gold mine, but once it dries up … you either leave the area and go to the city or stay living in poverty," Orozco explained.

Instead of tending to their plantain and rice farms, Villa Caleta residents invested in boats to carry migrants down the rivers.

The AP spoke with one of those residents, 63-year-old Luis Olea, who explained that before Trump took office, "We lived off the migration."

"But now that's all gone," Olea said.

The AP noted that boat pilots, called lacheros, could make up to $300 per day transporting the migrants but only $150 a month on farming.

Amid the immigration boom, the towns within the Darién Gap came to an arrangement to take turns transporting individuals by boat so that each community could have a chance to turn a profit.

Cholino de Gracia, a community leader, told the outlet that not all of the residents were prepared for the drop in traffic.

According to Panamanian authorities, at its height, roughly 2,500 to 3,000 individuals traversed the Darién Gap each day. Now, with Trump in office, that number has plummeted to about 10 per week.

"The worst part is that some people struggle to eat, because without any income and no supermarkets here, what can people buy?" de Garcia questioned.

Olea reportedly returned to farming plantains.

Pedro Chami, 56, another boat pilot, told the AP that he also previously walked away from farming. With few immigrants traveling through the area, he has since taken up wood carving.

"I'm trying this to see if things get better, see if I can buy some food," Chami stated. "Before, I would always have my $200 a day without fail. Now, I don't even have a cent."

Zobeida Concepción, 55, told the news outlet, "When Donald Trump won, everything came to a screeching halt."

Concepción and her family sold goods to migrants traveling through. She stated that she plans to stay in the area in the event another opportunity arises under a future U.S. administration.

"When another government enters, you never know what opportunities there will be," Concepción remarked.

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Darién Gap crossings nearly disappear as Trump drops hammer on illegal immigration



Under President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, a once heavily trafficked jungle passage between Colombia and Panama experienced a 99% drop in crossings in February.

Days before Trump’s inauguration in January, border czar Tom Homan vowed to shut down the Darién Gap in order to “protect our national security.”

'The problem we had in Lajas Blancas eliminated.'

“It’s going to save thousands of lives,” he told NBC News.

The Associated Press reported that over 500,000 individuals traveled through the crossing in 2023. During a peak period in 2022, an average of 16,400 individuals passed through every week.

The news outlet shared photos from Lajas Blancas, a Panamanian river port once teeming with migrant camps with tight rows of small tents and clotheslines strung with drying laundry. Now, only about 10 people trickle through per week. The AP’s most recent photos revealed a ghost town.

The news outlet reported that humanitarian organizations that previously frequented the area have since shut down operations.

“Doctors Without Borders, the Red Cross, no one comes here any more,” a Venezuelan national told the AP. “It’s deserted.”

Panamanian authorities now reportedly strictly control access.

Last month, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino declared the Darién Gap effectively “closed.”

“The problem we had in Lajas Blancas eliminated,” he stated.

The New York Post reported that traffic plummeted by 99%, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Only 408 migrants were recorded as crossing through the Darién Gap in February, compared to 37,166 over the same month the previous year.

Bloomberg reported that of those who traversed the Darién Gap in February, 151 were from Venezuela, 43 from Cameroon, and 22 from Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-Mexico border has also seen steep declines in illegal crossings.

In February, the most recent data available, 28,654 border encounters were recorded, compared to 256,071 the year prior — an 89% drop.

Trump has implemented many initiatives to find and deport the illegal aliens who made it into the U.S. under the previous administration, including requiring immigrants to submit their information to a new online registry.

According to a memo obtained by the Post on Friday, individuals who fail to self-report or do not carry proof of registration could be referred to the Department of Justice for “criminal prosecution.”

The memo instructed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to “treat the alien’s case as an immigration enforcement priority.”

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told the Post that those who fail to comply with the registration order could be fined up to $1,000 daily.

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'Border industrial complex': Undercover footage shows Red Cross helping migrants in Colombia headed north



New footage obtained by Anthony Rubin's watchdog outfit, Muckraker, and published by the Oversight Project shows a Red Cross employee in the northwestern town of Necoclí, Colombia, providing aid to an individual whom he apparently believed to be yet another migrant headed north for the human trafficking corridor multitudes have transited to get to the United States.

The footage also shows staff from MedGlobal — an NGO that, like the Red Cross, has received significant funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development — offering instruction and material aid to what was actually an undercover reporter, again working under the apparent assumption that he was a migrant planning to transit the Darién Gap.

Mike Howell, president of the Oversight Project, told Blaze News, "The Red Cross is supposed to be keeping people safe. The idea that they'd coach illegal aliens to go through one of the most dangerous jungles on the planet on their way to breaking into the United States is absolutely upside down."

'My mission is to simply give you some strategies.'

Blaze News reached out to the Red Cross and to MedGlobal but did not immediately receive responses.

In the footage, a Red Cross employee identifies himself as a psychologist, then notes that it's not easy being a migrant.

"My mission is to simply give you some strategies," said the Red Cross employee. "There are some things that I think are important that you have in mind for your safety, yes? Because we know that making the journey to Mexico or the United States on this route has some risks, yes?"

In addition to sharing journey-specific financial advice, the employee detailed some of the risks in the lawless Darién jungle between Colombia and Panama.

According to the Guardian, at least 300,000 migrants traveled through the human trafficking corridor last year. The Panamanian government reported 520,085 migrants making the journey the previous year. Among the illegal aliens making the trek through the Darién Gap that year were hundreds of Somalians, Pakistanis, Nigerians, Congolese, Sudanese, and Iranians.

In 2024, 55 U.S.-bound migrants reportedly died while crossing the Darién Gap and hundreds of children were abandoned in the jungle.

After discussing how long the trip would take and how much food to bring, the Red Cross employee showed the undercover reporter different routes from Necoclí to the entrance of the Darién Gap, providing tips for what to do along the way.

'Rein in this weaponization and abuse of taxpayer money.'

The Red Cross, which has long enjoyed the support of the U.S. government at taxpayers' expense, has made no secret of its efforts to help migrants reach the American border.

The International Committee of the Red Cross and the National Red Cross Societies of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, which claim to neither encourage nor discourage migration, have for years provided illegal aliens with a "self-care" kit replete with tips on how best to "mitigate the risks that might be faced by those who choose to migrate," as well as information on train routes, water crossings, and where to find food and shelter.

WKYC-TV confirmed last year that as part of this kit, the American Red Cross, the Mexican Red Cross, and other Red Cross agencies were distributing a map that shows optimal ways through Mexico to the U.S. border.

In the footage published by the Oversight Project, a MedGlobal staffer can be seen providing the undercover reporter with jungle survival gear for his trip through the human smuggling corridor. In addition to food, fluids, soap, and sunscreen, the staffer provides the faux migrant with anti-bacterial pills to keep water on his journey potable.

"It is clear that the intent of both groups was to assist our undercover reporter in illegally heading north to the United States," said Muckraker's Anthony Rubin.

Highlighting the millions of taxpayer dollars the U.S. government has recently injected into these groups' work in Colombia, Rubin stated, "It is time to restore fiscal responsibility and rein in this weaponization and abuse of taxpayer money being used to support illegal immigration."

Rubin said in a statement to Blaze News:

We can confirm that this is an organizational effort. Red Cross organizations are key players in "migration" aid work around the world and work closely with U.N. agencies like the [International Organization for Migration] and [U.N. Refugee Agency] to coordinate services for "migrants" and refugees along known smuggling corridors. Red Cross organizations have explicitly adopted a “principle of independence” with respect to migration aid work, which means that Red Cross operations provide aid to "migrants" irrespective of national policy and security concerns tied to irregular and illegal "migration." (See the article Practice versus perception: A discussion of the humanitarian principle of independence in the context of migration [2024], published by the International Review of the Red Cross.) This is consistent with the permissive “hands off” response of the Red Cross psychologist shown in the footage. The footage seen is indicative of broader policies of Red Cross organizations.

"This is clearly an organizational effort, as is the entirety of the border industrial complex that the United States has heavily funded," Howell told Blaze News.

Howell told Blaze News that he will refer the matter to border czar Tom Homan during their in-person meeting on Thursday.

Last week, Howell alerted the Trump administration to the apparent efforts of the taxpayer-funded Chinese-American Planning Council to undermine the efforts of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to enforce federal law and remove illegal aliens from the United States.

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Sen. Mike Lee introduces resolution to safeguard Panama Canal from China's growing influence



Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) introduced a resolution on Tuesday celebrating America's achievement in creating the Panama Canal and calling for measures to safeguard it from China's growing influence in the region.

Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) co-sponsored the resolution, which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

'It would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights under the Treaty.'

Lee noted the canal's "vital importance" to the United States, particularly regarding trade, national security, and geopolitics.

The resolution explained that the U.S. government "funded, pioneered, and built" the Panama Canal from 1904 to 1914, adding that it cost $375 million and 10,000 lives.

Former President Jimmy Carter turned over control of the Panama Canal to Panama in 1977.

"The Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal, signed at Washington September 7, 1977, otherwise known as the 'Neutrality Treaty,' reserved the right of the United States to use armed force to defend the permanent neutrality of the Panama Canal," Lee's resolution read.

However, despite the Neutrality Treaty, China's influence in the Panama Canal has grown substantially over roughly the past decade, "pos[ing] a high risk of intelligence-gathering and surveillance."

The U.S. is allowed to regain control of the canal if the neutrality agreement is violated.

"Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate," the resolution continued, "recognizes the ingenuity and labor of Americans that made the Panama Canal possible for future generations, with special regard for those Americans who lost their lives in pursuit of the Panama Canal project"; "expresses that the Panama Canal is vital to United States regional security, hemispheric hegemony, and economic interests"; "assesses that a pattern of Chinese-backed investment in port infrastructure and canal operations in Panama constitutes a violation of the Neutrality Treaty"; and "urges the Trump administration to ensure that the canal remains neutral and to take all appropriate measures to enforce the Neutrality Treaty."

Lee wrote in a post on X, "The Panama Canal is a great American achievement, and President Trump is right to re-assert the Monroe Doctrine and American dominance of our hemisphere's vital waterways."

Over the weekend, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he met with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino "to make clear that the United States cannot, and will not, allow the Chinese Communist Party to continue with its effective and growing control over the Panama Canal area."

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated, "Secretary Rubio made clear that this status quo is unacceptable and that absent immediate changes, it would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights under the Treaty."

Following Rubio's visit, Mulino declared that Panama would leave the Belt and Road Initiative, a Chinese global infrastructure project.

The State Department claims the initiative "preys on other countries via unsustainable and corrupt lending while ignoring global labor and environmental standards."

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Panama to ditch communist China's Belt and Road Initiative after Rubio's visit



Secretary of State Marco Rubio laid down the law in Panama over the weekend, making expressly clear to President José Mulino that the Trump administration will not tolerate the influence of the Chinese communist regime over the Panama Canal as it now stands.

It appears the Panamanian leader heeded the American's warning.

Within hours of their meeting, Mulino announced that Panama will not be renewing its memorandum of understanding with China concerning its Belt and Road Initiative.

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce indicated in a statement Sunday that Rubio impressed upon Mulino and Panama's foreign minister, Javier Martínez-Acha, "that President Trump has made a preliminary determination that the current position of influence and control of the Chinese Communist Party over the Panama Canal area is a threat to the canal and represents a violation of the Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal."

'Absent immediate changes, it would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights.'

According to the Panama Canal Treaty and Neutrality Treaty signed in 1977 by former President Jimmy Carter and Panama's then-chief of government, Omar Torrijos, the canal "shall be permanently neutral" and in time of both peace and war "shall remain secure and open to peaceful transit by the vessels of all nations on terms of entire equality."

Rubio reportedly told the Panamanian leaders that the current level of Chinese influence over the canal was "unacceptable and that absent immediate changes, it would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights under the Treaty."

Evidently keen to avoid consequences — which Rubio apparently did not spell out in detail — Mulino announced that he will not only let Panama's Belt and Road Initiative partnership expire but will look into the possibility of terminating it early, as it was not set to be renewed for at least another year.

Mulino also expressed a willingness to review a number of Chinese businesses in Panama, including the 25-year concession to the Chinese company that operates ports at both ends of the canal, reported Reuters.

Mulino's announcement "that Panama will allow its participation in the CCP's Belt and Road Initiative to expire is a great step forward for U.S.-Panama relations, a free Panama Canal, and another example of @POTUS leadership to protect our national security and deliver prosperity for the American people," Rubio stated Monday.

Through its BRI, the Chinese Communist Party helps poorer nations build ports, rail lines, and telecommunications networks, as well as secure financing. Since this assistance is usually unaffordable by design, the BRI effectively transforms countries into vassal states.

The State Department noted during the first Trump administration that the Belt and Road Initiative "preys on other countries via unsustainable and corrupt lending while ignoring global labor and environmental standards." The department stated further that the Chinese military utilizes BRI to establish a presence in partner nations and to "challenge the United States globally."

Panama was the first country in Latin America to partner with China on the BRI, signing a memorandum of understanding to that effect in 2017.

Since 2017, China's influence in Panama has grown considerably, raising concerns stateside that America's ability to transit the canal it built in the early 20th century for a price tag of $375 million and thousands of lives could soon be strategically hindered.

'We gave the Panama Canal to Panama. We didn't give it to China.'

A Congressional Research Service report updated on Dec. 17, 2024, noted that some U.S. military leaders are concerned that Beijing-linked companies along the canal "may present a security vulnerability for the United States." China presently controls ports at both ends of the canal through Hutchinson Ports PPC, a Hong Kong-based company closely linked to the regime in Beijing.

Trump said on Truth Social in December that the canal and its independence from communist Chinese interference were "crucial for U.S. commerce, and rapid deployment of the Navy, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and drastically cuts shipping times to U.S. ports."

Weeks ahead of taking office, Trump stated at a press conference that the "Panama Canal is vital to our country. It's being operated by China. China. And we gave the Panama Canal to Panama. We didn't give it to China, and they've abused it. They've abused that gift. It should have never been made, by the way. Giving the Panama Canal is why Jimmy Carter lost the election, in my opinion."

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Panama Won't Renew Belt and Road Agreement With China, Making It First Latin American Nation To Leave Initiative

Panamanian president José Raúl Mulino said his country would not renew its agreement with China's Belt and Road Initiative following a visit from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a move that will make it the first Latin American country to leave the initiative.

The post Panama Won't Renew Belt and Road Agreement With China, Making It First Latin American Nation To Leave Initiative appeared first on .

Republicans take Trump's lead, introduce bill priming reacquisition of Panama Canal



The United States secured the right to build and operate the Panama Canal and control five miles of land on either side of the passage in 1904, after the French lost 20,000 lives bungling a similar effort. Over the next decade, tens of thousands of American men labored in the malarial heat, excavating nearly 240 million cubic yards of rock and dirt and setting 3.4 million cubic meters of concrete. For a price tag of $375 million and thousands of lives, the U.S. ended up with a historic, 51-mile marvel of engineering.

Democratic President Jimmy Carter signed away control of the canal in 1977. On the day of Carter's funeral, Republican lawmakers introduced legislation that would set the stage for America possibly to reacquire the canal, which President-elect Donald Trump said in December was "a VITAL National Asset for the United States."

The Panama Canal Repurchase Act introduced Thursday by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and co-sponsored by numerous Republicans, including Reps. Troy Nehls (Texas), Mike Lawler (N.Y.), and Barry Loudermilk (Ga.), would authorize President-elect Donald Trump to enter into negotiations for the reacquisition of the Panama Canal from the Republic of Panama.

'Giving the Panama Canal to Panama was a very big mistake.'

"President Trump is right to consider repurchasing the Panama Canal," Rep. Dusty Johnson, a member of the House Select Committee on China, said in a statement. "China's interest in and presence around the canal is a cause for concern. America must project strength abroad — owning and operating the Panama Canal might be an important step towards a stronger America and a more secure globe."

The South Dakota congressman noted in a release that without the canal, ocean shippers would have to travel an additional 8,000 miles around South America. He also highlighted a potential return on investment, noting that tolls on the more than 10,000 ships that transit its locks every year could generate billions of dollars that might benefit the U.S.

Trump stressed at a press conference Tuesday that the "Panama Canal is vital to our country. It's being operated by China. China. And we gave the Panama Canal to Panama. We didn't give it to China, and they've abused it. They've abused that gift. It should have never been made, by the way. Giving the Panama Canal is why Jimmy Carter lost the election, in my opinion."

"Look, he was a good man. I knew him a little bit, and he was a very fine person, but that was a big mistake," continued Trump. "Giving the Panama Canal to Panama was a very big mistake. We lost 38,000 people. It cost us the equivalent of a trillion dollars, maybe more than that."

Last month, Trump similarly noted in a Truth Social post that the canal and its independence from communist Chinese interference were "crucial for U.S. commerce, and rapid deployment of the Navy, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and drastically cuts shipping times to U.S. ports."

'Welcome to the United States Canal!'

"Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S.," stated Trump.

According to the Panama Canal Treaty and Neutrality Treaty signed by Carter and Panama's then-chief of government Omar Torrijos in 1977, the canal "shall be permanently neutral" and in time of both peace and war "shall remain secure and open to peaceful transit by the vessels of all nations on terms of entire equality."

The growing influence of China in Panama, a country roughly the size of South Carolina, has prompted many to doubt the continued neutrality of the canal.

A Congressional Research Service report updated on Dec. 17, 2024, noted that some American military leaders are concerned that Beijing-linked companies along the canal "may present a security vulnerability for the United States" — a concern compounded by Panama's embrace of China's imperialistic Belt and Road Initiative.

Rep. Dusty Johnson highlighted in his release that while the "commercial importance cannot be overstated," the canal is also a "key transit point for Coast Guard and Department of Defense vessels."

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, prickled by Trump's previous statements, stated in a December video, "Every square meter of the Panama Canal is Panama's and will continue to be. The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable."

Trump responded to Mulino's comment, "We'll see about that," then shared an image of the American flag flying over the canal with the caption, "Welcome to the United States Canal!"

Axios indicated that some Democrats might also be on board with America retaking the canal.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), for instance, ruled out military force but noted that "the United States reasserting its history in the Panama Canal is actually a good, important, strategic issue."

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