PANAMA CITY — One constant throughout the history between the U.S. and Panama has been preoccupation over the sovereignty of the Panama Canal. In the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s statements about taking back the canal, its workers are determined to stay focused on their task, even as they worry about their future.
Alvaro Moreno Constantino is a Panama Canal pilot. He has been navigating ships through the isthmus since 1995 and experienced the canal’s handover from the United States to Panama in 1999.
As someone who has worked in the canal under both the U.S.-controlled Panama Canal Commission and current Panama Canal Authority operation, Moreno is intimately familiar with how each government has run the waterway.
Trump’s threats have sparked unease for Moreno, but he remains focused on his duty as a pilot.
“In the case of pilots, even though it creates apprehension – and I can probably speak for the rest of the canal – we still have a mission here,” Moreno said. “Our mission is to take ships through the canal safely and efficiently, and we can focus on that because there’s very little we can do about the other stuff.”
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Moreno acknowledged that his apprehension is linked to America’s past in the canal.
“It’s always tied to the history. You cannot look the other way,” Moreno said. “There’s a lot of history behind Panama having the canal under our control and jurisdiction, so you cannot disassociate.”
Like Moreno, Daniel Camazón has devoted much of his career to the canal. He has worked as a Panama Canal tugboat captain, maneuvering vessels through the locks, for 15 years.
Camazón is not only impacted by Trump’s threats as a canal worker but also as a 51-year-old Panamanian who lived through the invasion. When American gunships targeted Noriega’s headquarters, Camazón was 17 and about to graduate from high school.
“(Trump’s threats) take you back to that time and then, now, it’s like, ‘All right, are we going to have this again? What’s it going to be?’” Camazón said.
As a canal worker, he has questions about the ramifications of Trump’s threats if actualized.
“What’s going to happen? Are you going to kick us out? Are you going to take over the administration? Are you going to fire all of us? Or is it just going to be a bluff?” Camazón said.
According to Camazón, this flurry of unanswered questions has left Panamanians feeling “a lot of anxiety.”
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