PANAMA - They crossed oceans to get to the US, fleeing conflict, religious persecution, pov-erty and government crackdowns in countries such as Afghanistan, Somalia, Cameroon, China, Pakistan and Iran.
After flying to Central and South America, they bused through countries where they didn’t speak the language and walked through unfamiliar jungle to get to the US-Mexico border.
Within days, they were detained and put on military aircraft that flew nearly 300 of them to Panama as US President Donald Trump sought to accelerate deportations to more complicated destinations. Panama was supposed to be a stopover. But for those unwilling to return home – mostly out of well-founded fear – Panama sent them to a guarded camp without access to lawyers in the same Darién jungle many had crossed months earlier on their way north. Over the past week, under legal pressure, the Panamanian government dropped them off at a bus station in the capital with 30 days to figure out where they will go next. “It feels like the whole world is crashing down on me. It’s like everything is stopping,” said Isha Len, a 29-year-old from Cameroon. “I risked everything, my life, everything, crossing the Darién Gap, just to be sent back.” (Jamaica Gleaner/AP)
