In a complex and sensitive situation, Panama is currently housing nearly 300 individuals from various countries, including Iran, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China, who were deported from the United States under President Donald Trump. These migrants are being held in a hotel, where they are receiving medical attention and food as part of a migration agreement between Panama and the US, per Panama’s Security Minister Frank Abrego. However, they are not allowed to leave the hotel while international authorities arrange for their return to their countries of origin.

A significant challenge arises as more than 40% of these migrants are unwilling to return to their homelands voluntarily. Some have even resorted to displaying desperate messages on their hotel room windows, pleading for “help” and stating “We are not save (sic) in our country”.

The US has been using Panama as a transit country for deportees due to difficulties in deporting individuals directly to certain countries. Costa Rica is also expected to receive a similar flight of third-country deportees on Wednesday.

Abrego also clarified that 171 of the 299 deportees have agreed to return to their respective countries with assistance from the International Organisation for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency. However, the remaining 128 migrants are still being processed, and efforts are being made to find alternative destinations for them in third countries. One deported Irish citizen has already returned to her country, while those who refuse to return to their countries of origin will be temporarily held in a facility in the remote Darien province.

The Panamanian government has agreed to serve as a “bridge” for deportees, with the US covering all costs of the operation. This agreement was announced earlier this month, following a visit from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino has faced political pressure over Trump’s threats to retake control of the Panama Canal, adding to the complexity of the situation.

The Panamanian Ombudsman’s Office is expected to provide further updates on the deportees’ situation, shedding more light on the challenges and potential solutions.
 

Washington, United States:

With Donald Trump in power now, authorities have started cracking down on illegal migrants who have made a perilous journey in a quest for the American dream. Hundreds of illegal migrants were arrested and deported in a massive operation that comes just three days after the new administration was sworn in.

Sharing the figures, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the US authorities have arrested 538 illegal migrants and deported hundreds using a military aircraft.

“The Trump Administration arrested 538 illegal immigrant criminals including a suspected terrorist, four members of the Tren de Aragua gang, and several illegals convicted of sex crimes against minors,” Ms Leavitt said in an online post on Thursday. “Trump Administration also deported hundreds of illegal immigrant criminals via military aircraft. The largest massive deportation operation in history is well underway. Promises made. Promises kept,” she added.

White House shared a “small preview” into the work the Trump administration is doing to “secure our nation’s borders.” It listed the names of some of the people arrested by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the crimes committed by them. Crimes include rape, sexual conduct against a child, and continuous sexual abuse of a child aged 14 or younger.

DAILY IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT REPORTING FROM ICE

538 Total Arrests

373 Detainers Lodged

Examples of the criminals arrested below

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 24, 2025

Following the inaugural ceremony on January 20, US President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders including one of “Protecting the American people against invasion.” The order states that over the last four years, the US saw an unprecedented flood of illegal immigration. “Millions of illegal aliens crossed our borders or were permitted to fly directly into the United States on commercial flights and allowed to settle in American communities, in violation of longstanding Federal laws.”

The government order further states that many of these “aliens unlawfully within the United States” present significant “threats to national security and public safety”, committing vile and heinous acts against innocent Americans.

On January 23, the US Congress gave a green signal to a GOP-led bill – Laken Riley Act – on the detention and deportation of undocumented migrants who enter the country without authorization and are charged with certain crimes.