Turned away at US border, Venezuelans languish in Panamanian ‘purgatory’
The word they use is “purgatory”.
In the Panamanian port village of Miramar, the migrants wait in abandoned houses and makeshift tents, the air heavy with unease. Few know how they will pay for the passage on a crowded boat to their next destination, 10 hours south. All are weary and despondent.
“I was hoping for a better future, but it was all for nothing,” said Gabriela, a 26-year-old Venezuelan mother. “I don’t know what I will do.”
Gabriela is one of thousands who, after months travelling north to the United States – across the perilous Darién Gap, through gang-controlled territories and treacherous terrain – are now retracing their steps. More than 14,000 migrants, mainly Venezuelans, have turned south since Donald Trump closed the borders and began his immigration crackdown, according to a report published last week.
