Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino announced on Friday that he has proposed to neighboring Colombia a joint evaluation of the ecological impact left by the migration crisis in the Darién jungle, the natural border between the two countries.

During his weekly press conference, Mulino said that after flying over the jungle, he observed that what was once a narrow path had turned into a “road” through which more than a million people had crossed illegally.

“We fulfilled our commitment and closed the Darién,” he stated. “But the environmental damage there — I don’t yet know the full extent. That’s something that must be assessed. Panama’s Ministry of Environment is involved, and I’ve also proposed to Colombian authorities that we carry out a joint evaluation.”

The Darién Gap, a natural lung linking Central and South America, became the scene of an unprecedented migration crisis between 2021 and 2024. Hundreds of thousands, mostly Venezuelans, crossed the jungle irregularly en route to the U.S., fleeing the worsening crisis in their home country.

On May 14, 2025, Panama officially shut down its main migrant reception center at the exit of the Darién, citing a sharp drop in irregular crossings due to stricter migration policies under the new Trump administration in the United States.

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Mulino’s administration attributes the drop in migration not only to U.S. policies but also to measures implemented locally, such as closing unauthorized trails, establishing a single “humanitarian corridor,” imposing fines for illegal entry, and launching deportation flights funded by the U.S.

In October 2023, Panama’s Ministry of Environment reported that each migrant left behind an average of 9 kilograms of waste during their passage through the jungle. At that time, three main migration routes had already affected 37 streams and 20 rivers.

The Ministry estimated that restoring the environmental damage would require over $11.9 million — funds intended for reforesting, soil recovery, and initiating studies on water sources and biodiversity in Darién, a 579,000-hectare national park listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981.

The Fuego volcano, located near Guatemala’s capital, concluded an eruption on Friday (June 6, 2025) that lasted more than 30 hours and forced the evacuation of nearly 800 people, according to the National Institute of Seismology (Insivumeh).

The eruption began Wednesday night, sending plumes of ash and smoke over 7,000 meters into the sky and triggering pyroclastic flows — fast-moving currents of hot gas and volcanic matter — down its slopes.

“The activity of the Fuego volcano has decreased significantly,” Insivumeh reported in a bulletin, adding that “it is possible to declare the eruption over.”

The National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conred) stated that transportation will be made available for the families currently in shelters so they can return to their homes.

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino stated on Friday that there are “no discussions whatsoever” with Venezuela regarding the potential restoration of diplomatic relations. This comes after the recent resumption of commercial flights between the two countries, which had been suspended for ten months due to Panama’s rejection of the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election results.

“There are no talks about diplomatic matters — none at all,” Mulino declared during his weekly press conference, when asked whether his government planned to reestablish consular relations with Venezuela in the coming days.

Mulino acknowledged the issue as “delicate, but also important.”

“We have supported the return to democracy in Venezuela in all possible international forums and settings. However, damage was already being done to international trade in the Colón Free Zone, to our national airline, and to the repatriation efforts for Venezuelan citizens traveling north to south,” the president explained.