Migrants in limbo in Panama jungle camp |

PANAMA CITY:

Lawyers for migrants from around the world who were deported from the United States and moved to a remote Panamanian jungle camp in recent weeks say they have been unable to communicate with their clients since they arrived there.

Some 100 deported migrants are being held in the “San Vincente” immigration center deep in the dense jungle that separates Panama from Colombia, according to Panamanian authorities. Their future is uncertain as they wait to see if they will be granted asylum in Panama or elsewhere.

“Individuals, including families like our clients, are being sent to Panama without any screening for asylum and despite not having any connection to Panama,” said Lee Gelernt, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). “And when they get there they are disappearing into a black box without access to counsel,” he said.

Gelernt is one of several lawyers challenging a January 20 executive order from US President Donald Trump that broadly blocked migrants from claiming asylum at the Mexico border. In recent weeks, the US has deported some 300 people to Panama, including people from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.