The foreign minister of Colombia, Álvaro Leyva Durán was absent from a  tripartite press conference on Tuesday, April 11 that followed meetings with US Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas and   Panama Foreign Minister Janaina Tewaney,  to address the issue of irregular migration.

A few minutes before Tewaney and Mayorkas entered, protocol personnel removed the third podium. The reason for the absence of the Colombian foreign minister was not explained.

The anticipated tripartite briefing at the Foreign Ministry was preceded by a technical workshop in which they announced three pillars to mitigate the irregular flow of people to the US., mostly victims of organized crime dedicated to human trafficking.

Despite extensive trilateral commitments to reduce the numbers of irregular migration to the north, which in the first four months of 2023 almost reached half the number who crossed the dangerous jungle in 2022, Leyva did not offer statements.

Prior to the announcement, the three officials had agreed on the commitments embodied in a sustainable roadmap to be carried out within 12 months.

Three primary actions were mentioned. The first, Tewaney pointed out, focuses on combating smuggling and trafficking networks that promote the illicit movement of people and goods by land and sea, and that puts the lives of migrants at risk and exposed them to exploitation for millionaire profits.

Legal routes
A second step is to open legal and flexible routes for migrants and refugees as an alternative to the Darién crossing where 36 people died last year, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The technical meeting also reflected the need to improve the exchange of information between Colombia and Panama, especially in relation to the number of people leaving Colombia and those received in Darién, as the figures do not add up.