In February, the US deported nearly 300 asylum-seekers to Panama. Most of the deportees had come to the US not from Panama, but from Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia, in many cases fleeing civil wars and religious persecution. In Panama, some religious institutions have taken them in.
Saturday’s solar eclipse cut across the western United States, dipping down into parts of Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and Brazil. It was Panama’s first eclipse in 25 years and it came at an auspicious time when scientists are promoting an interest in astronomy.
The US government changed the rules governing how people can seek asylum at the US-Mexico border last week, as a pandemic-era policy called Title 42 expired. Although it may become more difficult, thousands of people are still making their way from South America to the US border, including migrants from all over the world. Some are making their way through the Darien Gap, a dangerous jungle that separates Colombia and Panama.