The decision comes as a growing number of migrants give up on seeking asylum in the U.S., often after crossing the perilous jungles dividing Colombia and Panama.

In the past, hundreds of thousands of migrants crossed Panama to make it to the U.S. But now, as Trump has taken office, thousands are headed back, and some are getting stranded in the country.

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

PEÑAS BLANCAS, Costa Rica (AP) — Costa Rica and Panama are coordinating to expedite southbound migrant transit through their countries along the same route that carried hundreds of thousands north in recent years, officials said Monday.

They once braved the jungles of the Darien Gap, trekking days along the perilous migrant passage dividing Colombia and Panama with a simple goal: seek asylum in the U.S. Now, boat-by-boat, those migrants have given up after President Donald Trump’s

Deporting migrants to Central American countries removes many political and legal hurdles for the Trump administration. How far can the practice go before these nations reach a breaking point?

PANAMA CITY — Panama said on Tuesday that it's ... in the U.S., often after crossing the perilous jungles dividing Colombia and Panama known as the Darien Gap and waiting more than a year ...