Panama legalizes 8,000 undocumented immigrants

PANAMA CITY, July 22 (Xinhua) -- About 8,000 undocumented foreigners have seen their immigration status normalized in Panama City through a governmental program, said an official from the country's National Migration Service (SNM) on Thursday.

SNM Director Maria Cristina Gonzalez told local media that the program "Panama Race Melting-pot," which will continue through August, had been launched by the Panamanian government due to the magnitude of the migratory phenomenon in this country.

Among the beneficiaries were immigrants from Colombia, Nicaragua, Peru, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador.

The program, part of the security policy established by the Panamanian government, is also aimed at updating the number of foreigners in the country.

The authorities had estimated that about 15,000 to 20,000 people would join the program, but many gave up because of the high costs.

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