Panama Holds Nearly 300 US-Deported Migrants as Repatriation Plans Take Shape

Nearly 300 migrants deported from the US, originating from countries such as Iran, China, Afghanistan, and Syria, are currently being held at a hotel in Panama while international authorities coordinate their return to their home countries. The move comes as part of the Trump administration’s broader strategy to pressure Latin American nations into assisting with migration control.

Following a visit by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this month, Panama agreed to serve as a transit country for the deportees, with the US covering all related costs. Initially, President Jose Raul Mulino planned to transfer the detainees to a migrant shelter in the Darien region for repatriation, but recent reports suggest a shift in strategy.

Panama’s security minister, Frank Abrego, confirmed that 171 of the 299 deportees have voluntarily agreed to return to their home countries with assistance from the International Organization for Migration and the UNHCR. The remaining individuals’ fate remains under discussion as authorities work on logistical and diplomatic arrangements.