MEXICO CITY — A recent shift in U.S. immigration policy is causing ripple effects across Latin America, signaling a strong message that attempting to reach the U.S. border may no longer be worthwhile. Several Venezuelan migrants have been transferred to Mexico as if part of a U.S. immigration detention facility. Additionally, families from Central Asia have been flown to Panama and Costa Rica, where they await voluntary repatriation to their home countries. In a similar vein, Venezuelans transported from Guantanamo Bay have been handed off on a Honduran tarmac for return to Caracas.
President Donald Trump’s administration has initiated efforts to reverse migration flows in the region, laying the groundwork for overcoming limited detention spaces by increasing deportations. Though the numbers are modest, the U.S. is employing numerous strategies to bolster its deportation efforts.
During its first month, the Trump administration has established new agreements with several Latin American countries, including Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama. These nations serve as transit points or final destinations for migrants expelled from the U.S. Agreements have also been reached with Venezuela to repatriate its citizens from Texas, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Honduras. Notably, the specifics of these agreements are not public, raising concerns about their compliance with international protections for refugees and asylum-seekers.
Human rights advocacy groups suspect these arrangements may be informal “handshake deals” secured through economic threats, such as tariffs and the reclaiming of the Panama Canal. Some of these agreements are evocative of Trump’s earlier presidency, though they have now expanded. For instance, in the past week alone, Honduras allowed Venezuelans to transition from one U.S. aircraft to a Venezuelan one. Meanwhile, El Salvador has offered to incarcerate deportees, including U.S. citizen prisoners.
Currently, while the deportation numbers remain small, the images of shackled deportees deplaning and migrants displaying help signs in detainment facilities are powerful reminders of the policy’s implications. The administration is geared towards shocking new migrants by showcasing these deportations, creating a deterrent effect with limited resources.
Moreover, the visible migration flow now slightly shifts towards deportations, with migrants being sent southward instead of traveling northward through Mexico. Since the policy’s implementation, more than 3,300 foreign deportees, representing diverse nationalities, have landed in Mexico. Many carry rare U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement documents denoting Mexico as the “Reason for transfer” under “removal.”
In Panama, where over 500,000 migrants traveled northwards towards the U.S. in 2023, the dynamics have changed. Recently, the nation became central to the U.S.’s deportation efforts. Almost 300 deportees from ten predominantly Asian countries were held in a Panama City hotel. A significant portion of these detainees who refused voluntary return faced temporary residence in a remote camp—previously crossed by migrants heading north.
In Costa Rica, similar deportation flights landed last week, with deportees sent to a remote containment facility. Costa Rica reports that around 50 to 75 migrants continue to move south through the country autonomously each day. Considerations for transitioning migrants further southward via boat remain undisclosed, though Panama and Colombia’s involvement was hinted at. The U.S. government has reportedly funded these logistical efforts, assisted by U.N. agencies like the International Organization for Migration.
Despite these initiatives, concerns persist about the impact on vulnerable migrants shuffled between countries, especially when returned to places they initially fled. There are worries that the U.S. bypasses international law constraints by passing migrants through third countries when direct deportation to their nations is diplomatically challenging.
For instance, allegations arose when a U.S. flight carrying Venezuelan migrants, destined for their home country, made a stop in Cancun. Legal service organizations in Mexico reported difficulties in confirming the migrants’ intentions to request asylum during the stopover.
While regional governments are cautious about openly supporting U.S. deportation measures, there are calls for greater transparency to ensure accountability and adherence to international obligations.
