The United States has deported 119 people from various nationalities to Panama as part of an agreement between the Trump administration and the Central American country. The first flight, carrying migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, landed on Wednesday, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino announced.
Two additional flights carrying a total of 360 deportees are expected soon. Upon arrival, the deportees were housed in hotels before being transferred to a shelter near the Darién Gap—a dense jungle region between Central and South America that is a key route for migrants heading toward the U.S. From there, they will be repatriated to their respective countries, a process managed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and funded by the U.S.
Cooperation Amid Diplomatic Tensions
Mulino described the deportation program as part of a cooperation effort with the U.S. government. The agreement follows a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Mulino, where discussions focused on migration control and Panama’s sovereignty over the Panama Canal. Trump has repeatedly criticized Panama’s management of the canal and suggested the U.S. should take back control, increasing diplomatic tensions.
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Despite this, Mulino signaled Panama’s willingness to expand cooperation with the U.S. on migration, proposing that Venezuelans, Colombians, and Ecuadorians crossing the Darién could also be returned at U.S. expense through an airstrip in Panama.
A New Strategy for Immigration Enforcement
The deportation flights to Panama mark a shift in U.S. immigration enforcement, targeting migrants from countries that have traditionally resisted accepting deportees. Many of the deported individuals had entered the U.S. illegally but could not be easily repatriated due to diplomatic hurdles with their home countries. The Trump administration has already secured agreements with El Salvador and Guatemala to accept migrants from third countries and is pursuing similar arrangements with other nations.
Mulino emphasized that Panama’s role in the program is temporary, with plans to repatriate deportees as quickly as possible. However, human rights organizations have raised concerns about the practice, questioning the conditions migrants may face upon being sent to a third country before returning home.
U.S. Expands Regional Deportation Efforts
Since taking office for his second term, Trump has declared a national emergency at the southern U.S. border and vowed to ramp up deportations. The administration’s broader strategy involves securing agreements with Latin American nations to house or process deportees, reducing the number of migrants in the U.S.
Panama has already taken steps to restrict migration through its territory, including closing several routes in the Darién and deporting migrants to countries like Colombia and Ecuador. In 2023, the U.S. provided Panama with $6 million to assist with these efforts.
Read More: Trump to send deported migrants to Guantanamo
With the arrival of more deportation flights expected soon, Panama’s role as a transit point for U.S. deportees could expand. While the Panamanian government has framed the initiative as a contribution to migration control, critics warn that shifting migrants between countries without clear plans for their safe return could place them in vulnerable situations.