US Deports 119 Immigrants to Panama Amid Intensified Deportation Efforts

• Feb 17, 2025

The United States has deported 119 undocumented immigrants from a range of countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, China, and others, to Panama. This move marks a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to deport immigrants, especially those from countries whose governments have refused to accept them back.

A military aircraft carrying the deportees, hailing from Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, China, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Pakistan, departed from California and arrived in Panama City on Wednesday. This is expected to be the first of three planned deportation flights to Panama.

The decision to send deportees to Panama comes after multiple warnings from former President Donald Trump about potentially taking control of the Panama Canal, which was handed over to the Panamanian government in 1999 through a treaty with the US. The arrangement to accept these migrants appears to be a result of a recent visit by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Panama.

Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino confirmed the arrival of the immigrants, stating that the country had welcomed “119 people from diverse nationalities.” These individuals were initially housed in a local hotel before being transferred to a shelter near the Darién Gap, a dense jungle area in southern Panama, where the International Organization for Migration is managing their relocation.

“We hope to get them out of there as soon as possible,” Mulino said, emphasizing Panama’s role in addressing global migration issues. The immigrants will eventually be flown back to their countries of origin, with the US covering the costs of the flights. Panama is the latest country in Central America, following El Salvador and Guatemala, to agree to accept deported individuals from other nations.

A second deportation flight, expected to include immigrants from Cameroon and other Asian and African countries, was scheduled to depart on Thursday, according to reports from CBS, citing internal government sources.

The Darién Gap, a treacherous stretch of jungle that separates Panama from Colombia, has become a major transit route for immigrants heading to the US. In 2023, more than half a million immigrants, primarily from Venezuela, crossed into Panama. The number of migrants dropped to 300,000 in 2024, but the region remains a key passageway in the broader migration crisis.