As the first buses carrying newly released migrants arrived this month in Panama City from a detention center located near a jungle, three individuals were clearly unwell. One required H.I.V. medication, another had depleted their insulin supply, and a third was experiencing seizures.
Amidst confusion, chaos, and fear, one migrant voiced their anxiety, asking, “What am I going to do?” and “Where am I supposed to go?”
These questions echo the sentiments of multiple migrants deported to Panama last month as part of the Trump administration’s extensive initiatives to remove millions from the United States.
Initially, Panamanian officials confined approximately 300 individuals to a hotel. Subsequently, those who rejected repatriation were moved to a secure camp at the jungle’s periphery. Ultimately, following a lawsuit and protests from human rights organizations, the Panamanian authorities released the deportees, transporting them back to Panama City.
Today, the remaining migrants—originating from Iran, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, and other nations—are free but abandoned in a country that does not welcome them. Many are residing in a school gymnasium provided by an aid organization, unsure of their next steps.
Conversations with 25 deportees revealed insights into who has been expelled from the U.S. by the Trump administration and what unfolds upon their arrival in Central America.
This region has become a crucial element in the deportation efforts the Trump administration is trying to accelerate.
However, Washington’s choice to relocate migrants worldwide to Central America has sparked legal tensions, challenged unprepared governments, and left people stranded in countries where they lack support systems or legal standing.
Most migrants reported that upon their arrival in the United States, they expressed fears about returning to their home countries but were not provided the opportunity to formally seek asylum.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, stated via email that the migrants were “properly removed” from the U.S. and asserted that “not a single one of these aliens asserted fear of returning to their home country at any point during processing or custody.”
“The U.S. government coordinated to ensure the welfare of these aliens was also managed by humanitarian organizations in Panama,” she mentioned.
Since assuming office, Mr. Trump has sent hundreds of migrants from various nations to Panama, Costa Rica, and El Salvador, though the government’s future plans remain unclear.
“Whether there will be more flights from the United States, I honestly don’t know,” said Panama’s president, Raúl Mulino. “I’m not very keen on it because it leaves us with the problem.”
Among those stranded in Panama is Hedayatullah Zazai, 34, an individual who claims to have served as an officer in the Afghan Army, collaborating with U.S. Special Forces and consultants. After the Taliban takeover, he stated that he fled to Pakistan, then Iran, and eventually journeyed to Brazil before making his way through South and Central America to reach the U.S. border.
Among the deportees are also Iranian Christians who claim they faced threats at home, along with several Afghan women from the Hazara ethnic group who assert they are being persecuted under Taliban rule.
Another deportee, Simegnat, 37, an Amhara woman who traveled alone from Ethiopia, revealed that her government had targeted her due to her ethnicity, leading to suspicions of her collaboration with a rebel group. She shared that she fled after her home was set ablaze, her father and brother were killed, and police warned her she would be next.
“I was not a person who wanted to flee my country,” she expressed. “I owned a restaurant and had a good life.”
“We are humans, but we have nowhere to live,” she stated regarding the Amhara individuals.
Fearing for the safety of relatives still at home, she and numerous other migrants chose not to disclose their full names.
Most migrants spoke of crossing the Mexico-U.S. border earlier this year, being held in detention for around two weeks, and then being shackled by U.S. officials and put on a plane to an undisclosed destination. Some were informed they were being transferred from California to Texas; most claim they were never offered a chance to formally request asylum.
One 19-year-old woman from Afghanistan disclosed that U.S. officials had allowed her parents and five younger siblings to cross into the United States. Being the only sibling over 18, she was separated from them, detained, and flown to Panama.
Some have stated that they owe significant amounts of money to individuals who helped finance their journeys.
“If I return to Ethiopia without their money,” Simegnat emphasized, “they would kill me.”
Panama has granted the deportees 30-day permits allowing them to remain in the country temporarily, with the option to extend their stay to 90 days.
While Panama offers an asylum program, the migrants reported receiving mixed messages regarding their chances of obtaining long-term legal protection in the nation.
Another alternative is for individuals to find another country willing to accept them; however, this would necessitate a unique legal effort for each case, explained Silvia Serna, a lawyer who is part of the team that filed a lawsuit claiming that Panama’s detention of the migrants was unlawful.
Ms. Serna mentioned she has been interviewing the migrants to ascertain what assistance her team could provide, though she cautioned that discovering hospitable countries may prove very challenging.
In discussions, three Iranian deportees mentioned they planned to return to the United States and were already negotiating with a smuggler, while a fourth had already set off for the U.S. border.
Among them is Negin, 24, who identified herself as a gay woman from Iran, a country where openly gay individuals face severe government persecution. “At least if I’m lingering idly,” she declared, “I’ll be inside an American detention camp and on American soil.”
The smuggler quoted one woman a fee of $5,000 to transport her across the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana and $8,000 for acquiring her a visa and arranging a flight to Canada.
Currently, most of the group is sheltered in a school gymnasium repurposed as a refuge outside Panama City, managed by two Christian charities. The migrants sleep on thin mattresses and receive meals served in foam containers. Recently, a group visited various embassies seeking assistance but reported being turned away at every location.
Elías Cornejo, affiliated with one of the aid organizations, Fe y Alegría, did not hold back on his disapproval of the new U.S. policies.
“We believe that the Trump administration’s policies are part of a machine that grinds the migrant like meat,” he stated. “This is undeniably a serious issue of inhumanity.”
A smaller contingent of deportees, primarily families with young children, has been housed in a hotel in Panama City funded by UNICEF. Among them is a couple, Mohammad and Mona, who are Christian converts from Iran. One evening, as their 8-year-old son became upset, both parents comforted him gently.
“He’s not attending school, and life for him has become monotonous,” Mohammad shared.
The couple had contemplated re-entering the United States illegally but ultimately decided against it, feeling it would cause their child further distress. They are hopeful that a lawyer from Ms. Serna’s team can convince the Trump administration to allow them entry as persecuted Christians.
If that does not pan out, Mohammad mentioned he is considering remaining in Panama and is already seeking employment.
Not far from the hotel recently, Artemis Ghasemzadeh, 27, another Iranian Christian, entered a church with white walls and knelt in prayer. Ms. Ghasemzadeh has become somewhat of a figurehead for the group after she uploaded a video from detention in the Panama City hotel, appealing for global assistance.
She mentioned that a priest had offered the migrants shelter north of Panama City, where they could stay without restrictions for as long as they remain in the country. The houses feature kitchens and no curfews, she noted, and she was considering the proposal.
“I am unsure of what the future holds,” Ms. Ghasemzadeh reflected. “I don’t know my next move. Right now, we are in God’s hands.”
Reporting was contributed by Alex E. Hernández from Panama City, Ruhullah Khapalwak from Vancouver, British Columbia, and a New York Times reporter from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
