Panamanian leader says supporting Haiti could avoid U.S. immigration crisis

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Haiti's economy and democracy must be fortified if the United States is to avoid a new wave of illegal immigrants, Panama's president said on Wednesday, urging fellow leaders to actively manage immigration rather than leave it to human traffickers.

Instability in Haiti has increased emigration from the impoverished island nation while Haitians who found refuge in Brazil after the 2010 earthquake are being driven northward by a recession in Latin America's biggest economy.