Happening now--José Raúl Mulino, president-elect of Panama, just confirmed that the U.S. signed a deal to begin removing migrants in Panama at a bilateral meeting over the weekend, one day ahead of Mulino's official inauguration.

► DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas led the delegation to Panama on Sunday and attended Mulino's inauguration today.
► This deal is part of Mulino's campaign promise to "shut down the Darien Gap".
► The Biden administration said in a statement that the two countries will "jointly reduce the number of migrants being cruelly smuggled through the Darien, usually en route to the United States."
► "The United States will support Panama’s efforts to begin the swift, safe, and humane repatriation of migrants who do not have a legal basis to remain in Panama," according to the statement.

Julio Alonso, a Panamanian security expert, Told AP in May that it is unknown what Mulino could actually achieve:

“This would be a radical change to Panamanian policy in terms of migration to avoid more deaths and organized crime using the route... In Panama, there is no kind of suppression with this situation, just free passage, humanitarian aid that didn't manage to reduce the number of assaults, rapes, homicides, and deaths along the Darien route,” Alonso said. Mulino's proposal is “a dissuasive measure, yes, [but] whether it can be completely executed we will see.”