Chinese migrants join flow of people crossing Darien Gap to seek asylum in U.S.

Liu Shuai, a migrant from China, waits in line to register with Panamanian migration officials at the Indigenous Embera community of Bajo Chiquito on April 21.Tito Herrera/The Globe and Mail In late March, Liu Shuai left his home and his debts in China. He flew first to Iran, then Turkey and Morocco before landing in Ecuador. From there, he began a journey of at least 5,000 kilometres by land, entering Colombia, then crossing into Panama by foot through the Darien Gap, a jungle traversed by no road, and where wildlife predators and untamed rivers are a constant threat. His destination,…