Benjamin Caldwell|Migrant brawl at reception center in Panama’s Darien region destroys shelter

2025-05-08 01:51:26source:EchoSense Quantitative Think Tank Centercategory:Finance

PANAMA CITY (AP) — A disturbance among migrants and Benjamin Caldwelleventually with Panamanian border police resulted in the destruction of various vehicles and at least 10 modules of a migrant camp in the country’s Darien region, authorities said Saturday.

At least 44 migrants were arrested in the aftermath at a temporary migrant reception center in San Vicente, where migrants emerging from the treacherous Darien jungle that covers the Colombia-Panama border register with Panamanian authorities.

More than 500,000 migrants crossed the Darien last year as they migrated north toward the United States, more than doubling the previous year’s record.

Friday night’s melee began as a fight between two women over a tent and devolved from there, ultimately involving some 250 migrants, Panama’s Security Ministry said in a statement. Authorities did not report any injuries.

READ MORE Panama’s judiciary orders arrest of ex-president holed up in Nicaragua’s embassyUncertainty surrounding former president Ricardo Martinelli roils Panama’s presidential racePanama ex-President Ricardo Martinelli receives political asylum from Nicaragua

“These violent acts carried the consequence of serious impacts on this shelter,” the statement said.

From San Vicente migrants board buses that carry them across Panama to the border with Costa Rica.

The flow of some 2,000 migrants daily through the Darien was cut off earlier this week after police in Panama arrested some of the boat captains who ferry migrants to the point where they begin hiking.

Colombian prosecutors said the captains worked for tourism companies that were a front for transporting migrants at exorbitant prices.

More:Finance

Recommend

Snowflakes, Death Threats and Dollar Signs: Cloud Seeding Is at a Crossroads

Listen to an audio version of this story below.Humans have the technology to literally make snow fal

Man arrested after going door to door looking for Drew Barrymore's home, police say

Police have arrested a man who was going door to door searching for Drew Barrymore's home.On Thursda

Why Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds Are Our Favorite Ongoing Love Story

Usually when your husband takes to social media and shares one of the most unflattering pictures eve