US congratulates Panama’s president-elect

The Washington Watch is our weekly update on key developments in bilateral relations between the United States of America and Latin American countries. Please find today’s article below.

Panama:?On 7 May US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke over the phone with Panama’s president-elect José Raúl Mulino following his victory in general elections which took place on 5 May. The previous day Blinken congratulated the president-elect in a post on social media. According to a US Department of State press release, in the 7 May phone call the two discussed the “importance of working together to safely and humanely manage migration”. This comes as Panama is facing record migration through the Darién?Gap, the perilous jungle border with Colombia, which serves as a key corridor for migrants seeking to reach the US. According to the same US Department of State press release,?in the 7 May conversation, Blinken “underscored strong US support for Panama’s efforts to tackle corruption and organised crime and expressed the US commitment to ensuring the continued success of the Panama Canal, including support for efforts to enhance the Canal’s resilience to climate change”. Mulino is due to be inaugurated as president on 1 July.

Argentina: On 2 May the US embassy in Argentina announced that the US Coast Guard Cutter James (USCG James) had visited Argentina that week. Upon its arrival at the port of Buenos Aires on 29 April, the crew of the USCG James hosted Argentina’s President Javier Milei, Security Minister Patricia Bullrich, and the US ambassador to Argentina, Marc Stanley, for a tour of the boat. USCG James is described by the US Southern Command as “one of the largest and most technologically advanced ships in the Coast Guard’s fleet” and is dedicated to combatting drug trafficking and monitoring for illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU) activities from its base in Portsmouth, Virginia. The visit of the USCG James, which aimed to strengthen maritime security, and focused in particular on combatting IUU fishing, was described by the US embassy in Buenos Aires as “a significant moment in the continued collaboration between the United States and Argentina”. Sailors from the USCG James and the Argentine navy took part in joint drills. The trip also included a meeting on 30 April between US coast guard personnel and officials from the Argentine navy on the topic of illegal fishing. The visit of the USCG James follows recent visits of senior US officials to Argentina. At the beginning of April, commander of the US Southern Command (Southcom), General Laura Richardson visited Argentina. Her trip served as the occasion for the donation of a C-130H Hercules transport aircraft to Argentina’s air force. In February this year US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held meetings in Buenos Aires with President Milei.

Colombia: On 6 May the US State Department announced the implementation of visa restrictions on executives of several Colombian maritime transportation companies accused of facilitating irregular migration of migrants to the US. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated via social media that: “Today we took action against several executives of Colombian companies moving migrants by sea, who knowingly expose them to exploitation and violence. We urge intending migrants to use safe, lawful migration pathways.” According to a State Department press statement, several companies, which remain unnamed, have been knowingly facilitating irregular movement and the visa restrictions “promote accountability for these actors and send a signal that no one should profit from vulnerable migrants - not smugglers, private companies, nor public officials.” The statement details that the actions were taken in accordance with a State Department policy implemented in February 2024, which announced visa restrictions targeting owners, executives, and senior officials of charter flight, ground, and maritime transportation companies providing services for irregular migration. This policy built upon and superseded a previous policy targeting individuals running charter flights for migrants into Nicaragua. The announcement came the day before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken travelled to Guatemala, where he led the US delegation at the third ministerial meeting of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, a 2022 agreement signed by the US and other countries to coordinate a regional response to migration.

Mexico:?On 1 May Mexico’s consulate in the US city of Atlanta, the capital of Georgia state, issued a cautionary notice regarding the impact of new migration legislation passed in the state earlier that day. In a statement shared, the consulate said that the newly approved legislation “could have serious consequences that include the separation of families, discriminatory practices and racial profiling, as well as the potential decrease in complaints to law enforcement agencies due to fear of immigration repercussions”. The consulate has announced it will increase consular services in order to uphold the rights of Mexican nationals residing in the US, noting that Hispanics made up 11% of Georgia’s total population. This comes as Brian Kemp, the Republican governor of Georgia,?approved the Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act of 2024 (Georgia HB1105) which marks a shift in the dynamic between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Under the legislation, state sheriffs in Georgia are mandated to collaborate with federal immigration officials whenever an individual in custody is suspected of unauthorised presence in the country. The legislation follows the passage of similarly hardline migration laws in other states, such as the SB4 law in Texas which has also drawn criticism from Mexico.

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• PERU: Boluarte facing new investigation as brother arrested
• In brief: Strong growth in international tourism to Peru
• BRAZIL: Authorities to tackle disinformation on floods
• In brief: Brazil’s inflation sees monthly acceleration
• HAITI: Transitional presidential council seeks to ease internal tensions
• In brief: Nicaragua hails rise in international reserves
• MEXICO: Cuban doctor programme expanded
• In brief: Mexico hails increase in tourism
• PARAGUAY: Pe?a plays hardball over dam debt
• In brief: Argentina’s YPF posts yearly rise in earnings