(3 Minutes Read)
Among those getting off buses were migrants fleeing violence and repression in Pakistan and Iran, and 27-year-old Nikita Gaponov, who fled Russia due to repression for being part of the LGBTQ+ community and who said he was detained at the U.S. border, but not allowed to make an asylum claim.
Panama on Saturday released dozens of migrants who were held for weeks in a remote camp after being deported from the United States, telling them they have 30 days to leave the Central American nation.
Authorities have said deportees will have the option of extending their stay by 60 days if they need it. Human rights groups and lawyers advocating for the migrants were waiting at the bus terminal and scrambled to find the released migrant’s shelter and other resources. Dozens of other people remained in the camp.
Among those getting off buses were migrants fleeing violence and repression in Pakistan and Iran, and 27-year-old Nikita Gaponov, who fled Russia due to repression for being part of the LGBTQ+ community and who said he was detained at the U.S. border, but not allowed to make an asylum claim.
Read Also:
The deportees, largely from Asian countries, were part of a deal stuck between the Trump administration and Panama and Costa Rica as the U.S. government attempts to speed up deportations. Critics described it as a way for the U.S. to export its deportation process.
