The creation of the Joint Command for the Security of Specific Areas of the Panama Canal sparked rejection today from social organizations, which labeled the measure contrary to the Constitution amid ongoing military exercises sponsored by the United States.

The Deputy Administrator of the Panama Canal, Ilya Espino de Marotta, dismissed claims that the new structure represents an intervention in the interoceanic waterway. However, the National Front for the Defense of Economic and Social Rights (Frenadeso) and legal scholars questioned the resolution issued by the Ministry of Security, signed by Minister Frank Ábrego, considering that it lacks legal basis.

According to the provision, the new command integrates the National Police, the National Aeronaval Service (Senan), the National Border Service (Senafront), and the Unified Emergency Management System (SUME) under a single line of command, with the purpose of reinforcing the protection of areas associated with the Canal.

Frenadeso maintained that the initiative responds to a militaristic concept of security and linked it to the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Panama and the United States in April 2025, which, according to the organization, expands military cooperation between both nations.

The group also connected the announcement to the upcoming visit to Panama by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, scheduled for August 13 on the occasion of the closing ceremony of the Panamax 2026 military exercises, as well as to the recent reorganization announced by the U.S. Southern Command through the creation of Joint Task Force-Western Hemisphere, designed to coordinate military capabilities and intelligence with regional allies.

Furthermore, the organization denounced that this decision was preceded by a visit to the Colón Free Trade Zone by U.S. Ambassador to Panama Kevin Marino to meet with local authorities and demand an end to commercial trade with Cuba, thereby reinforcing what it termed the "criminal and genocidal blockade" against the island.

Likewise, Frenadeso stated that the measure comes amid growing tensions regarding Panamanian sovereignty, recalling repeated statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the Panama Canal, and denounced an increase in military cooperation with Washington.

The organization called on social and popular movements to remain mobilized in defense of national sovereignty and the Panama Canal, arguing that recent decisions compromise the neutrality of the interoceanic waterway.