A few days ago, we told you about a huge migrant caravan being formed in South America that includes, in addition to the usual Latin American national groups, both Cuban and African nationals. Now, it appears that members of those groups are already en route to America.
A group of 600 Cubans and 120 Haitians and Africans are currently in Panama with the goal of asking for asylum in the United States. “We want to reach the land of freedom,” one of the Cuban asylum seekers declared.
Panama Security Minister Jonathan del Rosario seemed to view the migrants as something other than harmless “freedom seekers.”
“They are disrespectful. They come into our territory filming, shouting, insulting the authorities. Just because we have sympathy for the migrants doesn’t mean we can allow them to enter our country without obeying our laws.”
A Panama resident was even more forthright about the mostly Cuban migrants. “They came shouting ‘freedom’ and demanding free food and medicine. Let’s send them back to their island and see if they complain like they do here,” she said.
Meanwhile, a Cuban migrant was defiant. “We’re going to move on, push forward, overcome the problem. As long as we remain united, no one is going to stop us. On to the Yuma,” he said, using Cuban slang for the United States.
See MSN.com for more.