The United States on Wednesday announced a $3 million partnership with the government of Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino to undo environmental damage from tons of garbage left behind by hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants that transited through the dangerous Darién Gap jungle trail in recent years.

In an official statement, the the U.S. Embassy in Panama detailed that the $3 million partnership will work directly with officials from the Panamanian Environment Ministry and local communities to remove the piles of garbage left by migrants who passed through the jungle, encouraged to reach the U.S. through its southern border by the open border policies of former President Joe Biden.

The cleanup initiative was jointly revealed by U.S. ambassador Kevin Marino Cabrera and President Mulino during a graduation ceremony for 285 new agents of Panama’s Senafront National Borders Service and 39 new officials of Panama’s National Migration Service in Metetí, Darién. President Mulino explained that the Darién cleanup efforts will require the hiring of 150 local workers.

Conservative Governments in U.S. and Panama to Restore Darién Gap After Mass Migration Environmental Disaster