Panama to allow 112 migrants deported from the US to move about freely in the country
PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama’s Security Minister Frank Ábrego said on Friday that Panama will begin the process of issuing humanitarian passes to 112 migrants deported from the United States who have been held in a remote camp in the Darien region since last month.
The passes would allow the migrants from a number of mostly Asian nations to move freely about Panama while they determine their next moves, Ábrego said. They would find their own places to stay while they decide where they are going next, he said.
The passes would initially be good for 30 days, but could be renewed.
Panama has come under pressure from human rights groups for holding the migrants without their passports or cell phones in harsh conditions. Lawyers had petitioned the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on their behalf.