A group of 65 migrants, who were detained in the dangerous Darien jungle region near Colombia, has arrived in Panama City after their release.
The Darien, a key transit route for many migrants traveling on foot from South America, is known for its dangerous jungle conditions. The migrants had been in the camp since mid-February after being deported from the US.
Some rights groups believe that Panama’s decision to release the migrants is an attempt to shift responsibility in the face of growing criticism over human rights issues.
Many of the released migrants are fleeing violence and oppression in countries such as China, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Nepal, and others.
In response to the increase in migrant deportations, Panama has made an agreement with the United States, where Panama assumes responsibility for repatriating or resettling the third-country migrants. Immigration advocates and rights organizations have criticized this deal as inhuman, as it allows the US to transfer its deportation process to Panama.
Hundreds of deportees were detained in a hotel in Panama City, displaying notes from their windows pleading for help and expressing their fear of returning to their countries, raising human rights concerns.
International refugee law grants individuals the right to seek asylum when they are fleeing conflict or persecution and prohibits forced repatriation.
Migrants who refuse to return to their home countries are sent to Darien, where they face poor living conditions, confiscation of phones, limited access to legal counsel, and uncertainty about their future.
Nikita Gaponov, a 27-year-old from Russia and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, fled Russia due to persecution and was detained at the US border without being allowed to make an asylum claim.
Hayatullah Omagh, a 29-year-old Afghan who fled in 2022 after the Taliban takeover, was also released on Saturday and is in a legal limbo, desperately seeking a way to stay without returning to a war-torn Afghanistan.
The Panamanian authorities deny any mistreatment of the migrants but have blocked journalists from accessing the camp and canceled a scheduled press visit last week.
