PANAMA CITY — On Wednesday, Panama relocated approximately a third of the deportees it received from the United States to a designated camp in Darien province. This area has emerged as a primary route for migrants making their way from South America to the U.S. border in recent years, according to security officials who provided updates on the situation later that day.
Those sent to Darien included migrants who opted against voluntary repatriation to their home countries. They will remain at the camp until alternative arrangements are made for their transfer to third-party nations, as noted by a Panamanian official who chose to remain anonymous due to restrictions on discussing the matter publicly.
This group of migrants was part of a larger contingent of 299 individuals transferred to Panama by the U.S. government, as the administration under President Donald Trump seeks to expedite the deportation process.
The Security Ministry of Panama later announced that of these migrants, 97 had been relocated to the camp in Darien province, with an additional eight expected to follow soon. Furthermore, 13 individuals had already been voluntarily repatriated to their home countries.
The remaining migrants are currently under police surveillance at a hotel in Panama City, awaiting arrangements for their return. Although the Panamanian government has stated that they are not being detained, their presence under police guard and restrictions on leaving the hotel suggest otherwise.
Earlier that day, the National Immigration Service of Panama reported an incident involving a Chinese woman who managed to escape from the hotel. Authorities eventually recaptured her, with Security Minister Frank Abrego sharing on social platform X that she was found near a migrant processing center along the often-traveled corridor between Panama and Costa Rica. He indicated her escape was facilitated by “human traffickers,” although it remains uncertain whether she was apprehended in Panama or Costa Rica.
The deportees, mostly originating from various Asian nations, find themselves in a precarious situation in Panama as the country has agreed to serve as a transit hub for those migrants difficult for the Trump administration to deport directly to their countries.
On Tuesday, Abrego revealed that 171 migrants had indicated a willingness to return home, though specifics regarding their timelines were not provided. He mentioned that an Irish national had already been successfully repatriated.
The other migrants are to be housed temporarily in a migration facility near the Darien Gap, an area characterized by dense forest along the Colombian border. Historically, this region has served as a pathway for migrants, including many from Venezuela and other nations, seeking to travel north toward the United States.
