Overview

• Panama announced it will issue 30-day renewable humanitarian permits to 112 migrants deported from the U.S., allowing them to move freely within the country.
• The migrants, primarily from Asian nations, had been held in a remote camp in the Darien region under restrictive and challenging conditions.
• Human rights groups criticized the treatment of the migrants, citing concerns over confiscated passports and cell phones, as well as harsh living conditions in the camp.
• Lawyers representing the migrants fear the permits may be a tactic to deflect international criticism and pressure from a pending human rights petition.
• Panama's Security Minister stated the migrants must decide within 30 days whether to leave the country, as they declined assistance from international organizations.