Most of these people waiting in line outside the US Consulate in the Torre Miramar are hoping to get visas to enter the United States. Since last year's Al Qaida attacks, US authorities have been more careful about screening those who seek to get into the United States, with the cost of the extra labor involved in checking visa applicants being passed onto consumers in the form of higher visa application fees. The Bush administration also has a policy of denying entry to Latin America's most crooked public officials --- or so it is said --- and the process of reviewing visa applications now involves not only the extra scrutiny designed to exclude America's enemies but also a check for the purpose of preventing Panama's most "desirable" criminals from taking their kids to Disney World. All of this means longer waits for foreigners seeking US visas and American citizens in need of consular services, but it also means that visitors to Panama are less likely to be hijacked on their return flights. Photo by Eric Jackson

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