The United States (U.S). has taken a significant step in its mass deportation efforts, announcing plans to deport unauthorised migrants to Panama. This move represents a breakthrough in the Trump administration’s efforts to manage deportations, according to internal federal documents obtained by CBS News.
In addition to Panama, the U.S. has secured similar agreements with other nations in the region. Both El Salvador and Guatemala have agreed to accept deportees from the U.S. who are not citizens of their respective countries. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele even offered to detain members of the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, who are expelled from the U.S.
One option under consideration by the Trump administration was a deportation agreement with Guyana, a South American country. A U.S. officials speaking on the condition of anonymity, told CBS News, Guyana could potentially accept third-country nationals, although it remains unclear if such an arrangement will materialise.
On Wednesday, an American military flight deported migrants from countries in Asia to Panama, marking the first deportation of its kind under the Donald Trump administration. The migrants included adults and families with children from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, and Uzbekistan. A second military flight to Panama was scheduled for Thursday, aimed to deport additional migrants, including some from African nations, such as Cameroon.
Panama’s foreign ministry confirmed receiving the first flight on Wednesday, which included 119 deportees from countries including Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. The ministry also confirmed that the U.S. would cover the costs of the deportations under the terms of the new agreement.
These deportations to Panama, a key transit point in the region for migrants moving north, signal a major diplomatic achievement for President Trump’s immigration policies. The U.S. has long faced challenges deporting migrants from Africa and Asia, particularly due to long distances and limitations placed by governments on accepting deportation flights. The success of these deportation flights underscores the Trump administration’s aggressive push to gain cooperation from countries across the region to accept migrants who are not their nationals.
The growing trend of migrant deportations to Panama reflects both the challenges and opportunities in managing the region’s complex migration issues. In recent years, Panama has become a key route for migrants crossing from South America to Central America and the U.S. Many migrants, including a large number from Venezuela, use the Darién Gap — a dangerous and remote stretch of jungle between Panama and Colombia — as a passage to their northward journey. In 2023, Panama saw a record 500,000 migrants cross through the Darién Gap, and while that number dropped slightly in 2024, it remained historically high.
The U.S. continues to seek further deportation agreements, though it remains unclear which countries may join the growing list of willing partners. While Panama’s participation is seen as a diplomatic victory, the broader implications of the U.S. immigration strategy, including the potential for deportations to Guyana, are still unfolding. (Story extracted and edited from CBS News and New York Times).
