People from different parts of the world arrived at the U.S. border, hoping to seek asylum. Instead of being given a chance, they were detained, placed in chains, and flown by the U.S. military to Panama, a country far from their intended destination.
According to the migrants, their passports and most of their cell phones were taken away. They were then locked inside a hotel, unable to contact lawyers. Officials informed them that they would soon be sent to a temporary camp near the jungle in Panama.
While at the hotel, at least one person attempted to take their own life, as reported by several migrants. Another individual broke his leg while trying to escape. One migrant, using a hidden cell phone, sent a desperate message: “Only a miracle can save us.”
A New Deportation Plan
When President Trump took office in January, his goal of mass deportations faced a big problem—what to do with migrants from countries like Iran, Afghanistan, and China. The U.S. could not easily send them back because their home countries refused to take them.
Last week, the administration found a new way: sending them to countries that were willing to accept them.
On Wednesday, U.S. officials started deporting hundreds of people to Panama. The group included migrants from Asian, Middle Eastern, and African nations. Panama was under political pressure from the U.S., as Trump had threatened to take control of the Panama Canal.
Now, the responsibility for these migrants lies with Panama’s government. Since they are no longer on U.S. soil, the American government is not required to ensure they are treated fairly or given a chance to apply for asylum.
Costa Rica also agreed to receive a flight of 200 deportees from Central Asia and India. Both Panama and Costa Rica stated that the operations would be monitored by the United Nations and funded by the U.S.
Panama’s president announced that these migrants would eventually be sent back to their home countries. However, if the U.S. was unable to deport them directly, it remains unclear how Panama plans to do so.
A New Phase of Immigration Control
Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, described this Panama plan as part of a “new era of enforcement.” He explained that the U.S. was now pressuring other nations to become part of its “deportation system.”
At a press conference, Panama’s deputy foreign minister, Carlos Ruiz-Hernández, insisted that both Panama and the U.S. were following international laws in how they treated the migrants.
However, lawyers in Panama pointed out that detaining people without a court order for more than 24 hours is illegal. Despite this, around 350 migrants, flown on U.S. military planes, had been locked inside a hotel in Panama City for nearly a week. Authorities were preparing a camp near the jungle to house them.
Armed guards stood outside the hotel, preventing the deportees from leaving. Among them were several children.
Locked Away from the Public
The Panamanian government has restricted journalists from meeting the migrants. However, The New York Times managed to interview several people inside the hotel. They all described themselves as asylum seekers held against their will.
From a hotel window, a woman was seen desperately trying to open a glass pane. When she noticed reporters outside, she held up a piece of paper with one word written on it: “Afghan.”
She gestured toward the sky as if describing an airplane, then motioned as if her head was being cut off. The message was clear—being sent back home could mean death for her.
A 27-year-old migrant from Iran, Artemis Ghasemzadeh, wrote “Help us” in lipstick on a window. She later explained that she had fled Iran after converting to Christianity, a crime punishable by death under Islamic law.
She hoped to build a new life in the U.S., believing that her education and religious status would help her gain asylum.
“I am not a criminal,” she said. “I am educated. I have proof of my conversion to Christianity.”
In December, she traveled to Mexico and then paid a smuggler $3,000 to help her cross the U.S. border. However, she was caught by American officials and placed in federal custody for five days.
After that, all the adult migrants, except for children, were shackled by U.S. authorities.
A Secretive Deportation Flight
More than 100 migrants from Iran, Afghanistan, China, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and other nations were placed on a gray military plane.
During the flight, an Uzbek woman with two young children fainted. The children cried uncontrollably.
A U.S. military officer approached Ms. Ghasemzadeh and asked for help in translating, as she was speaking English. He wanted to know why the woman was so scared.
“I told him we had no idea where we were being taken. Could he please tell us?” Ms. Ghasemzadeh recalled.
The officer leaned in, hugged her gently, and whispered: “We’re going to Panama. Please don’t tell anyone.”
Upon arrival at the hotel in Panama, a migrant attempted suicide. In response, authorities confiscated all glass and sharp objects from the rooms.
Ms. Ghasemzadeh, along with nine other Iranian Christians, including three children, spent their days in fear. At night, they read Bible passages from a cellphone.
The Official Response
Panama’s deputy foreign minister, Carlos Ruiz-Hernández, stated that the migrants were placed in the hotel as a temporary measure. He explained that the Trump administration had asked Panama to take them on short notice, and a proper facility was still being prepared.
He described Panama as “a leader and strategic partner in migration management,” claiming that both countries were respecting human rights.
Panama’s government announced that two U.N. organizations—the International Organization for Migration and the U.N. refugee agency—were overseeing the migrants’ situation. However, a senior U.N. official, speaking anonymously, said the process was being “tightly controlled” by Panama, and it was unclear how much oversight the U.N. actually had.
A Future in Uncertainty
Panama’s president, José Raúl Mulino, confirmed that the migrants would soon be transferred to a camp near the jungle in Darién Gap. The facility was originally built to house migrants heading north to the U.S. Now, it will serve as a detention center for those sent south by the U.S. government.
No one knows how long the migrants will be held there.
In the past, the camp, known as San Vicente, had only a few small shelters, and migrants were often confined in poor conditions. The jungle area is known for heavy rainfall and the risk of diseases such as dengue fever.
At the hotel, a Chinese migrant named Wang wrote “China” on a window. In a phone call, he explained that he had come to the U.S. alone, searching for freedom.
“I thought America respected human rights,” he said. “I had no idea it was like a dictatorship.”
He made it clear that he would rather die than be sent back to China.
A Family’s Nightmare
Mona, a 32-year-old Iranian Christian convert, was among the deportees. She traveled with her husband, Mohammad, and their 8-year-old son.
During the military flight, her son cried, terrified to see his parents in shackles. To comfort him, she told him it was like a video game, and once the plane landed, they would be free.
Her son asked if she would cook his favorite Persian meal when they arrived.
Throughout the flight, Mohammad kept reminding his wife of a Christian belief they shared:
“Jesus said, ‘If you don’t take your eyes off me, I won’t take mine off you.’”
As they sat on the plane, uncertain of their fate, he whispered to his wife:
“Keep your eyes on Him.”
