Panama and Costa Rica can’t turn into ‘black hole’ for migrants, Human Rights Watch says

Miramar, Panama (AP) – Costa Rica officials and Panama are passports and mobile phones for immigrants, and deprive them Migration flow suddenly reversed.

The restrictions and lack of transparency are to attract criticism from human rights monitors and the generation of increasing responses from officials, who say their actions aim to protect immigrants from humans.

Both countries have received hundreds of deportees from different countries that the United States sent as President Donald Trump The administration is trying to accelerate the deportation. Meanwhile, thousands of immigrants from the United States began moving in southern Central America – Panama has registered 2200 so far in February.

“We are a reflection of the current immigration policy of the United States,” said Harold Village Roman, a political science professor and refugee expert at the University of Costa Rica. “There is no focus on human rights, there is nothing but focus on control and security. Everything is very mysterious, not transparent.”

Deportation and reverse migration

Earlier this month Send 299 phases from Asian countries mostly to Panama. Those who were ready to return to their countries – about 150 so far – were placed on aircraft with the help of United Nations agencies and paid for them by the United States

On Thursday, Carlos Ruiz Hernandez, Deputy Foreign Minister of Panama, said on Thursday that a small number is in contact with international organizations and the United Nations Refugee Agency because it weighs whether Sana Al -Talaa was in Panama.

“None of them wants to stay in Panama. He said in an interview on a phone from Washington:” They want to go to the United States. “

Despite Trump’s threats to regain control of Panama channel, Panama did not act under the pressure of the United States. This is in the interest of Panama National. We are friendly to the United States and we want to work with them to send a signal signal. “

Ruiz Hernandez said that some of the remaining departments in Panama will get the option to stay in a shelter originally prepared to deal with the large number of immigrants who move north through the Darren’s gap.

One Chinese reference Currently held in the campAnd that spoke on the condition that her identity was not disclosed to avoid the repercussions, she said she had not given an option.

It was deported to Panama without knowing where it was sent, without signing the deportation documents in the United States and without clarity in the time they will be. Among the deportees who were transported from a hotel in Panama City, where some had signs of their windows asking for help The distant camp in the Darren region.

He told the authorities that the authorities confiscated the phones of others and did not provide them with any legal assistance. Others said they were unable to contact their lawyers.

“This deprived us of our legal operation,” she said.

President of Panama Jose Raul Mulino asked about not reaching legal services on Thursday, about the idea that immigrants would have even lawyers.

“Doesn’t these poor people seem to have lawyers in Panama?” Mulino said.

“Black hole for deported migrants”

Costa Rica and Panama have so far denied the arrival of the facilities in which migrants are being held. Panama had initially invited journalists to Darren this week, but she finally canceled the visit.

“Panama cannot end in becoming a black hole for the migrants who were deported,” said Juan Babir, deputy director of Human Rights Watch in the Americas. “Migrants have the right to communicate with their families, and they must request lawyers, and they will guarantee transparency about the situation they find themselves.”

Costa Rica has faced similar criticism from the country’s independent human rights entity, which caused his warning of “failures” by the authorities to ensure the appropriate conditions for the welcome. The Office of the Secretary of Grievances said that immigrants were also stripped of their passports and other documents, and they were not informed of what was happening or where they were going.

Panama and Costa Rica, the long transit countries of people who migrate north, have defended, Treating the new flow of migrants who go to the south Organizing the flow.

Kimberlain Pereira, 27, was traveling with her 4 -year -old husband and son.

Pereira had waited for months to set a resort in Mexico after crossing the risky two -ward gap by dividing Colombia and Panama and traveling across Central America. But after Trump took office and closed legal paths for the United States, she surrendered and decided to return home, despite Venezuela’s ongoing crises.

But after a week of keeping it at the Costa Rica detention facility near the Panamanian border, she expressed “despair”.

The officials there told them that they will be transferred to Cúcuta, a Colombian city near the Venezuelan border. But they were loaded on buses and were transferred to this Panamanian port on the Caribbean Sea.

“We feel a little more protected. They gave us food. My only anxiety is confusion. She said:” Come here, go there, and enter this. “

While she and other immigrants spoke to AP journalist in a public place, the Panamanian immigration authorities have grown clearly and carried nearly 200 immigrants on buses to push them to a nearby building. When journalists tried to follow them, immigration officials stopped by the way to an attempt to prevent them from following up.

The Panamanian authorities refused to comment on the incident, but after expressing the concerns of freedom of the press, reporters were allowed to catch the migrants.

Before dawn on Thursday, Pereira and other immigrants On board wooden boats This carried them near the borders of Colombia Panama, where they planned to continue their journey. They paid up to $ 200 per trip.

“I don’t understand why they are chasing journalists, why are we very isolated if the government is helping,” she said.