Lawyers representing migrants deported from the United States and sent to a remote camp in Panama report they have been unable to communicate with their clients since their arrival. The 112 individuals are being held in the "San Vicente" immigration center in the dense Darien jungle bordering Colombia, awaiting potential asylum in Panama or relocation elsewhere.
According to Panamanian authorities, the deportees include individuals from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. The U.S. government has deported approximately 300 people to Panama in recent weeks under a policy that circumvents direct repatriation to countries unwilling to accept deportation flights.
