Trump administration will close down the Darien Gap, Tom Homan says
In an interview with NBC News, incoming Trump border czar Tom Homan said that people without criminal records may also get arrested in mass deportation raids.
SAN DIEGO — Donald Trump’s administration would shut down the Darien Gap, the dangerous Panamanian jungle hundreds of thousands of migrants cross each year on their way north, incoming border czar Tom Homan said Thursday in a one-on-one interview at the U.S. southern border.
“It needs to happen,” he said. “Shutting down the Darien Gap is going to protect our national security. It’s going to save thousands of lives.”
Panama has faced pressure to crack down on migration in recent years, and the country’s immigration authorities said this month there had been a 42% drop in crossings last year through the typically lawless 70-mile stretch of jungle.
“We’re going to work with the foreign government,” Homan said.
Homan’s comments come as the president-elect begins laying out an expansionist foreign policy for his second term. This week, Trump didn’t rule out using military force to retake the Panama Canal or acquire Greenland.
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