For days, they say they were locked inside a hotel in Panama, surrounded by tight security with limited contact with the outside world.

The group of unauthorized migrants, which includes children, were bused to the camp late Tuesday night. “It looks like a zoo, there are fenced cages,” said one of the detainees.

In a room at the luxury Decápolis Hotel in Panama City, two girls hold a piece of paper to the window with a written message. "Please help us," it reads.The hotel offers its clients rooms with sea views,