Hundreds Including Pakistanis Expelled From US

At least 300 deportees, including Pakistani nationals, are stranded in a Panama hotel as they await repatriation after being expelled from the United States under former President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, according to the Associated Press (AP).

While international authorities work to arrange their return, the Panamanian government has imposed restrictions on their movement. Officials report that over 40 percent of the migrants are unwilling to return home voluntarily.

Some detainees have displayed messages in the hotel windows, reading “Help” and “We are not safe in our country.” The group includes migrants from ten primarily Asian countries, including Pakistan, Iran, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and China, AP noted.

Facing logistical challenges in deporting individuals directly to certain countries, the United States has been using Panama as a transit hub. Panama’s Security Minister, Frank Abrego, stated that the deportees are receiving food and medical assistance under a migration agreement between Panama and the US. This agreement, reached earlier this month during US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit, allows Panama to serve as a transit point with the US covering all related costs.

Of the 299 deportees, 171 have agreed to return to their home countries with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency. Meanwhile, 128 remain in discussions with UN agencies to explore alternative destinations. One Irish citizen has already been repatriated.

Migrants unwilling to return home will be temporarily relocated to a facility in Panama’s Darien province, a common route for those traveling north, Abrego added.