Panama Will Deport Almost 500 Cubans in the Coming Weeks

Panama Will Deport Almost 500 Cubans in the Coming Weeks / 14ymedio,
Mario Penton

14ymedio, Mario Penton, Miami, 2 March 2017 – In the next few weeks
Panama will deport almost 500 Cubans who remain undocumented in the
country, after being stranded by the end of the United States' wet
foot/dry foot policy in January, which had previously allowed Cubans who
stepped foot on American soil to remain in the country.

According to reports to 14ymedio by sources from Panama's National
Immigration Service, the deportations could begin when the Service's
director, Javier Carrillo returns; currently he is in Havana in the
fourth round of migration talks between the two countries.

"The deportations depend on the agreement between the two nations, but
we can confirm that all undocumented migrants who are currently in the
country will be returned to Cuba," said the official source.

"The Memorandum of Understanding for the deportations has been signed
but the details have not yet been made known," he said.

In Panama, 383 Cubans remain in the care of Caritas Panama, 92 in Lajas
Blancas and another 24 in the shelter of the National Migration
Service. For the migrants who are in the shelter set up by Caritas the
news was disconcerting.

"They are very worried they did not expect something like this," says
Victor Luis Berrio, permanent deacon in charge of the Catholic institution.

"At the moment we are making every possible effort to avoid the massive
deportation of these Cubans," he adds.

According to Berrío, his organization has sent a letter to the president
of the nation explaining that all the humanitarian work of the
Government could be jeopardized if they proceed with the deportation.

According to Deacon Barrios, who follows the message of Pope Francis to
shelter refugees, "the authorities' intention has always been
deportation." He thinks, however, that it will not come to pass,
"without a fight."

"We are going to open our doors so that Cubans in Lajas Blancas can come
to Caritas and we will continue to protect these defenseless people,"
says the deacon.

"The decision of Caritas is to defend all the migrants that are in its
care," he says.

Last week two Cubans attempted suicide by taking sleeping pills due to
the uncertainty of their fate, they said. They were in a Cuban migrant
camp in the village of Lajas Blanca, near the western Panama border.
Many crossed the Darien Gap jungle to get there.

Source: Panama Will Deport Almost 500 Cubans in the Coming Weeks /
14ymedio, Mario Penton – Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/panama-will-deport-almost-500-cubans-in-the-coming-weeks-14ymedio-mario-penton/