Panama relocates nearly 100 US deportees it agreed to take in

• Panama authorities have moved nearly 100 U.S. deportees to a camp near the Venezuelan border. The move comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Panama’s president earlier this month.
• Panamanian officials stated that the migrants refused voluntary repatriation to their home countries and will remain in the camp until authorities find third-party countries to take them.
• Panama agreed to serve as a transition point for migrants that the U.S. is struggling to deport.

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Panama authorities have moved nearly 100 U.S. deportees to a camp near the Venezuelan border. They are part of a larger group of 299 migrants deported by the U.S. government, even though the migrants are not from Panama.

Panamanian officials say the migrants refused voluntary repatriation to their home countries. They will remain in the camp until authorities find third-party countries to take them.

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Remaining migrants in Panama City

The remaining migrants are under police guard in a Panama City hotel. They can’t leave, and the country’s minister of security, Frank Abrego, calls it a safety issue.

“As a preventive measure, these people are not allowed to move around our country in order to guarantee the safety and the peace of Panamanian citizens,” Abrego said. “We are providing them with all the necessary medical services, food, and comfort, and we will continue to do so until the last one has left our country, which is what was agreed with the United States government.”

Panama agreed to be a transition point for migrants that the U.S. struggles to deport. During a press conference Tuesday, Feb. 18, Abrego said 171 of the original 299 migrants have now agreed to return to their homelands. That leaves about 40% in limbo.

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Why Panama?

On Feb. 2,  U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino primarily to discuss the Panama Canal. However, Mulino also offered Panama as a bridge to send U.S. deportees back to their countries.

The first plane arrived from the United States in Panama on Feb. 13.

The deportations are part of President Donald Trump’s promise to overhaul the country’s immigration system. On the first day of his second term, the president signed 10 executive orders relating to immigration.