The consequences of the new US Administration anti-immigration policies are unraveling fast. The immediate closure of the US border to asylum seekers and the apprehension of undocumented migrants later placed on deportation flights has led to a brewing humanitarian crisis in Panama. Three deportation flights have landed in Panama City since February 12th with over 300 people from various Asian nationalities, whose nations refuse to receive deportation flights coming directly from the US. None of these migrants have committed any crime and were deported only for being undocumented without any due process. Many of them now fear for their lives if they are sent back to their home countries.
They were kept in a hotel in Panama City before being bused to the town of San Vicente in the Darien to wait for a flight home leaving from the airstrip in the town of Meteti. How long will they wait there is anyone’s guess and our partners in Panama who are monitoring all these events report improvisation and an absence of any plan of action from Panamanian authorities. The local government is complying, under coercion from the US, to avoid further threats over the Panama Canal and trade agreements. This bully diplomacy has even prompted neighboring Costa Rica to proactively collaborate with the US government’s deportation efforts to avoid any retaliation from their major trade partners. Unlike Panama, Costa Rica is opened to receive asylum requests from the deportees on a case-by-case basis. Local populations in Panama have reacted with bewilderment, not understanding why the US does not deport people directly to their home countries. There are also many questions surrounding the role of the International Organization for Migration, which is instrumental in the implementation of the US deportation plans.
In addition to the deportation flights, many of the 270,000 asylum seekers who were left stranded in Mexico after the termination of the CBP One app are voluntarily heading back to their home country. As they arrive at the Costa Rica-Panama border, they have the choice of registering in a “temporary migrant reception center” (Centro de Atención Temporal de Migrantes or CATEM) on the Costa Rica side where they are then bused down to San Vicente in the Darien. Our partners tell us that nobody has been granted access to the CATEM to report on how people are being treated there. Most Venezuelan migrants have no intention of returning to Venezuela and turn down registering at the CATEM. Instead, they take alternate routes through Panama to avoid the various check points, paying cartel guides or “coyotes” to reach Colombia by boat. If Panamanian authorities intercept them, they are brought back to the Costa Rica border and pressured to enter the CATEM.
This situation reached a boiling point when the first caravan with hundreds of migrants forced their way through the Costa Rica-Panama border in Paso Canoas. They were confronted by local authorities and clearly frustrated and emotional when threatened with being sent back to the Darien jungle, where many of them survived horrible ordeals. The coordinator of Red Clamor, Rafa Lara, was invited to the local TV news to report on this event and urge authorities to guarantee that people on the move are treated with dignity.
With Quixote Center’s support, our partners with the Franciscan Network for Migrants and Red Clamor are currently addressing this humanitarian crisis by reactivating a meal program in Paso Canoas and distributing a total of 1,850 hygiene kits for men, women and children on the move. They are also being trained to implement best practices as human rights observers and nonviolence through a training of trainer program Quixote Center is sponsoring. These skills are essential to protect the people on the move whether they are returning home to the south or emerging from the Darien jungle heading north, a trend that has fallen to 90% of its level at the same time last year.
As Panama continues to be a focal point in the migration route to and from the US, Quixote Center will continue to support our partners, helping them strengthen their capacity to respond to this humanitarian crisis. In a month from now, we will be taking a delegation of ten immigration experts on a Solidarity Trip throughout Panama to speak with human right advocates on the ground and people on the move to better understand the situation. We will be sharing our findings through written reports and webinars to bring more visibility on the effects of US anti-immigrant policies and strengthen our advocacy mission.
Comments
Florence Deaner (not verified)
What do you hear from the Bishops?
Quixote Center (not verified)
The US bishops are not engaged with this; they are focusing on suing to get refugee resettlement funds back for their work in the US. The bishops in Panama have been very involved, and Church organizations in general are speaking out.
Renee Johnson (not verified)
I am a US citizen and Human Rights Consultant. I recently graduated from From Harvard University with credentials in International policy and systemic programming for child rights protections and concepts of practice. I have a Master of Science in Human Services with a Specialized in social and community affairs, focusing in areas of human development, articulating systemic programming community development programs, and Behavioral Health Science, implementing behavor analysis and modification intervention plans.
I will be coming to Panama within the next 30 days and I am seeking volunteering opportunities in my specific aforementioned professions or is willing to train for in another skill as needed.
My name is Renée Johnson
Ph: 330-330-4364
Email: pavingpathways2023@gmail.com
Please let me know if volunteering is an option.