The lack of an effective migration policy and an apparent confusion between what is a humanitarian quota and the controls that must be taken would be the main factors that are currently causing the inconsistency between official figures and those real ones.
Official records of the National Migration System reflect an increase in the granting of residencies to foreigners in the last three years, when compared to the corresponding figures for the period from 2010 to 2013, with those of the following years.
Between 2010 and 2013, the Migration Service granted 42,386 residences, while in the period from 2014 to June 30, 2017, some 72,196 have been granted, that is, 114,582 residences.
Yesterday, the Director of Migration, Javier Carrillo, corroborated the inaccuracies that exist on the official figures of migrants that are staying in the Isthmus.
Carrillo had previously shown a figure of 44,177 Venezuelans, but after the participation of 50,000 of these in the popular consultation in Panama, he had to show a new calculation.
According to Carrillo, from 2010 to 2017 they had registered some 25,272 legalized Venezuelans, and before 2010 the Comptroller's Office had already fixed this number in 7,497. To this figure those who participated in a census should be added by Decree 167, which amounts to 22,899 people. In total they would be 55,668.
However, there is another percentage of children of European migrants who possess dual nationality (including Venezuelan) and have obtained their legalization through Italian, Spanish and even German passports.
Before this scenario, Carrillo said that they have opted for the elimination of appointments to grant residences, before the fact that "Panama has already fulfilled its humanitarian quota".
He acknowledged that there is still a pre-registration of more than 41,000 foreigners still pending to be legalized.
Human rights defenders, like Teresita Yániz de Arias, explain that the humanitarian issue has nothing to do with the legality or illegality modes of people coming into the country.
She said that the protection of human rights, which must be given to everyone alike, and the immigration policy that establishes the needs and conveniences cannot be confused. "A confusion that many people have, starting with our authorities."
She affirmed that Panama cannot continue (…) without a defined migration policy and according to the needs that we have. The borders cannot be opened to then start humongous efforts trying to get organized, she warned.
"It is our obligation as decent people, and by international treaties; (But) if we have gotten to this lack of order on the migratory issue, it is the responsibility of the authorities", she said.
According to Juan Jované, when a defined migration policy is absent, the labor market becomes saturated, as long as they are hired as cheap labor, sometimes without social security, which affects the Panamanian worker.
"In a small country like Panama, these excesses can cause cultural values to be lost. 40% of the population is in a situation of informality and more people coming from outside increases this index, so it is necessary to define a migration policy, "he said.
Leisure places, schools, bars, transports and residences do not escape the situation
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