Panama’s government announced on Wednesday that nearly 100 migrants deported from the United States last week have been transferred from a hotel in Panama City to the Darien jungle in the southern part of the country.
The group consists of individuals from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, as confirmed by Panama’s President, Jose Raul Mulino. The president has agreed to accept non-Panamanian deportees as part of an arrangement with the United States.
Read more: Turkey Deports 325 Afghan Migrants Amid Growing Crackdown
According to Panama’s security ministry, out of the 299 migrants recently deported from the U.S., 13 have already been sent back to their home countries, while another 175 are still in the hotel in Panama City, awaiting their return after agreeing to repatriation.
The migrants were housed in the hotel under local authorities’ supervision, with financial support from the United States through the International Organization for Migration and the UN refugee agency.
The policy of deporting non-Panamanian migrants to Panama is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to increase deportations of individuals residing illegally in the U.S. However, a key challenge in implementing this policy is that some migrants originate from nations that refuse to accept deportation flights from the U.S. due to strained diplomatic ties or other political reasons.
Under the agreement with Panama, the U.S. can deport these individuals, leaving Panama responsible for organizing their repatriation.
This process has drawn criticism from human rights organizations, which express concerns about potential mistreatment and the safety of migrants, particularly those from war-torn countries like Afghanistan.
The security ministry reported that 97 migrants were relocated to a shelter in the Darien region, an area known for its dense, lawless jungle that separates Central and South America. This region has become a major migration route for thousands attempting to reach the United States. The ministry added that eight more migrants would be transferred there soon.
A Reuters witness described the hotel where the migrants were initially held as quiet on Wednesday. However, on Tuesday, some migrants were seen holding hands and looking out the windows in an apparent attempt to get reporters’ attention.
Reports indicate that the migrants inside the hotel were not permitted to leave. Additionally, Panama’s migration service stated that a Chinese national, Zheng Lijuan, had escaped from the hotel but was later apprehended in Costa Rica and returned to Panama.
