The United States has sent nearly 300 migrants on military deportation flights to Panama over the past week, with more than 170 agreeing to be deported back to their countries of origin. The migrants are primarily from Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and were deemed illegal border crossers by US authorities.
Only two countries in Latin America have accepted deportees: Panama and Costa Rica. In Panama, the migrants are being held at a downtown hotel, where reporters spoke to several individuals who claimed they fled their home countries due to life-threatening circumstances. Around 150 migrants refused deportation and will be relocated to a camp near the Darién Gap.
Panama’s security minister, Frank Ábrego, said that the government is keeping the migrants in the hotel to ensure “security and peace for Panamanian citizens.” However, reports suggest that authorities have blocked a lawyer from entering the building multiple times, despite her efforts to represent the migrants. The UN agencies IOM and U.N. Refugee Agency are responsible for responding to the needs of the deportees.
So far, one migrant has returned home after being deported, and around 20 are expected to depart in the coming week. The government maintains that the deportees are only in temporary custody and under protection.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/18/us/politics/deportations-migrants-panama.html