U.S. Deports Undocumented African, Asian Migrants To Panama Amid Trump’s Crackdown On Immigration
On Wednesday, a U.S. military flight transported Asian migrants in U.S. immigration custody to Panama, marking the first known deportation of this kind under the Trump administration.
The U.S. is deporting unauthorised migrants from African and Asian countries to Panama, amid Donald Trump administration’s mass deportation strategy, according to internal federal documents obtained by CBS News.
On Wednesday, a U.S. military flight transported Asian migrants in U.S. immigration custody to Panama, marking the first known deportation of this kind under the Trump administration.
The deportees included adults and families with children from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, and Uzbekistan, as revealed by the documents.
Another U.S. military flight to Panama is scheduled for Thursday, aiming to deport more Asian migrants along with some African deportees, including individuals from Cameroon, according to the documents.
Panama’s foreign ministry confirmed on Thursday that it received the first deportation flight under an agreement with the Trump administration, allowing the U.S. to send non-Panamanians to the Central American country.
According to the ministry, Wednesday’s flight included 119 deportees from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. The U.S. will cover the costs of these deportations under the agreement, the ministry noted.
The administration considers it a significant milestone in its mass deportation efforts.
The U.S. has historically struggled to deport migrants from Africa and Asia due to the long distances involved and resistance from governments in those regions to accept American deportation flights.
The New York Times first reported on Wednesday’s deportation of Asian migrants.
These flights highlight the Trump administration’s determined efforts to persuade countries in the region to accept migrants who are difficult to deport, even if they are not citizens of those nations.
El Salvador and Guatemala have already agreed to accept deportees from the U.S. who are not their nationals. Additionally, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has offered to accept and detain suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua expelled from the U.S.
The Trump administration has pursued additional deportation agreements, though the number of future arrangements remains uncertain.
Two U.S. officials, speaking anonymously to CBS News due to lack of authorisation to speak to the media, revealed that one plan under consideration would have sent third-country nationals to Guyana in South America.
According to reports, Panama’s willingness to accept the deportees also coincides with Mr. Trump’s interest in regaining control of the strategically important Panama Canal, which the U.S. ceded to Panama in 1999.
However, Panama’s leaders have unequivocally rejected the idea and disputed claims made by Mr. Trump and U.S. officials regarding China’s influence on the canal’s operations.
This report comes amid a series of aggressive immigration enforcement actions taken by the Trump administration.
In recent months, SaharaReporters has reported how the administration has ramped up efforts to secure deportation agreements with various countries as part of its broader strategy to curb illegal immigration.
This includes persuading countries to accept deportees who are not their nationals, a significant shift from traditional repatriation policies.
