The ordeal of those returning has been further highlighted a tragedy last Friday, when a boat carrying 21 migrants capsized in rough waters

Panama said on Tuesday that it's working to formalize a route long used to smuggle migrants on the way to the U.S., which is now being increasingly used to return migrants to South America in a reverse flow triggered by the Trump administration.

A boat carrying 19 migrants, part of a “reverse flow” of migrants who once hoped to reach the United States, capsized off Caribbean coast of Panama

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.