After their deportation, many migrants are left stranded in Panama, seeking answers about their future amidst challenging conditions.
Migrants Deported to Panama: A Struggle for New Beginnings
Migrants Deported to Panama: A Struggle for New Beginnings
Dozens of deported migrants face uncertainty and hardship in Panama after being expelled from the U.S.
In March 2025, a group of migrants recently released from a U.S. detention camp faced confusion and health issues as they arrived in Panama City. Among them were individuals requiring urgent medical attention, including treatment for H.I.V., access to insulin, and care for seizure conditions. Their questions echoed in the gymnasium providing temporary refuge: "What am I going to do?" and "Where am I going to go?"
The deportations were a direct result of the Trump administration's aggressive immigration policies, aimed at expelling millions. Initially, approximately 300 migrants found themselves confined in a hotel by Panamanian authorities, who later transferred them to a secure camp on the fringes of the jungle. Following a lawsuit and international outcry from human rights advocates, the Panamanian government finally released the deportees, busing them back into the capital.
Now, these migrants, hailing from countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Uzbekistan, are free but without a destination. With many sleeping on makeshift mattresses in a gym, they grapple with the harsh reality of being unwanted in a country that offers no future prospects.
The deportations were a direct result of the Trump administration's aggressive immigration policies, aimed at expelling millions. Initially, approximately 300 migrants found themselves confined in a hotel by Panamanian authorities, who later transferred them to a secure camp on the fringes of the jungle. Following a lawsuit and international outcry from human rights advocates, the Panamanian government finally released the deportees, busing them back into the capital.
Now, these migrants, hailing from countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Uzbekistan, are free but without a destination. With many sleeping on makeshift mattresses in a gym, they grapple with the harsh reality of being unwanted in a country that offers no future prospects.
