Panama City — After weeks of lawsuits and mounting human rights criticism, Panama on Saturday released dozens of migrants who had been held for weeks in a remote camp after being deported from the United States. They were informed they have 30 days to leave the Central American nation.
This situation has thrust many, like Hayatullah Omagh, a 29-year-old who fled Afghanistan in 2022 following the Taliban’s return to power, into a legal limbo, compelling them to scramble for a viable path forward. “We are refugees. We do not have money. We cannot pay for a hotel in Panama City, we do not have relatives,” Omagh told the Associated Press in an interview. “I can’t go back to Afghanistan under any circumstances … It is under the control of the Taliban, and they want to kill me. How can I go back?”
Authorities have stated that deportees will have the option to extend their stay by an additional 60 days if needed; however, many like Omagh remain uncertain about their next steps. Omagh disembarked from a bus in Panama City alongside 65 migrants from various nations including China, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Nepal, after spending weeks detained in dire conditions by the Panamanian government, which has indicated a desire to collaborate with the Trump administration “to send a signal of deterrence” to those aspiring to migrate.
Human rights groups and lawyers advocating for the migrants were present at the bus terminal, racing to provide the released migrants with shelter and other essential resources, while dozens of others remained in the camp.
Among those disembarking were migrants fleeing violence and repression from countries like Pakistan and Iran. One such individual, 27-year-old Nikita Gaponov, fled Russia due to persecution for his LGBTQ+ identity and stated he was detained at the U.S. border but was not permitted to make an asylum claim. “Once I get off the bus, I’ll be sleeping on the ground tonight,” Gaponov said.
Others are once again looking north, asserting that despite their prior deportation, they see no other option than to continue their journey to the U.S. The deportees, largely hailing from Asian countries, were part of an agreement made between the Trump administration and Panama and Costa Rica aimed at expediting deportations. The U.S. government has sent hundreds of individuals, many of whom are families with children, to these Central American countries as a stopover while arrangements are made to send them back to their countries of origin.
Critics have characterized this as a method for the U.S. to export its deportation process. The agreement raised significant human rights concerns, as hundreds of deportees detained in a hotel in Panama City displayed notes from their windows pleading for assistance, expressing their fear of returning to their home countries.
Under international refugee law, individuals have the right to apply for asylum if they are fleeing conflict or persecution. Those who resisted returning home were later relocated to a remote camp near Panama’s border with Colombia, where they endured weeks in poor conditions, stripped of their phones, unable to access legal counsel, and kept in the dark about their future.
Lawyers and human rights defenders have warned that Panama and Costa Rica are becoming “black holes” for deportees, asserting that their release was a tactic for Panamanian authorities to distance themselves from the deportees amidst escalating human rights scrutiny.
Upon their release on Saturday night, human rights lawyers identified at least three individuals needing medical attention: one had been vomiting for over a week, another had diabetes and lacked access to insulin in the camp, and a third, who had HIV, also did not receive necessary medication while in detention.
Those released, including Omagh, expressed that returning home was not an option. As an atheist and a member of the Hazara ethnic minority in Afghanistan, he stated that returning under Taliban rule would mean certain death. He had sought refuge in the U.S. after years of attempts to live in Pakistan, Iran, and other nations, only to be denied visas.
Omagh was deported after presenting himself to American authorities and requesting asylum, which was denied. “My hope was freedom. Just freedom,” he lamented. “They didn’t give me the chance. I asked many times to speak to an asylum officer and they told me ‘No, no, no, no, no.’” Despite this, Omagh described the relief of leaving the camp. He and other migrants recounted experiences of scarce food, oppressive heat, and aggressive treatment from Panamanian authorities.
In one instance, Omagh mentioned that a Chinese man had gone on a hunger strike for a week. In another, a small riot erupted when guards refused to return a migrant’s phone. Armed guards suppressed the unrest.
Panamanian authorities have denied accusations regarding camp conditions but have barred journalists from accessing the facility and canceled a planned press visit last week. While international aid organizations have stated they would coordinate travel to a third country for individuals unwilling to return home, Panamanian authorities claimed that those released had already declined assistance.
Omagh noted that he was told in the camp that he could be sent to a third country if that country offers visas to Afghan nationals. He emphasized the difficulty of this process, as few nations are willing to accept individuals holding an Afghan passport. He recounted asking camp authorities numerous times about the possibility of seeking asylum in Panama, only to be informed, “we do not accept asylum.”
“None of them wants to stay in Panama. They want to go to the U.S.,” stated Carlos Ruiz-Hernandez, Panama’s deputy foreign minister, in an interview with the AP last month. This sentiment echoed for many, including a Chinese woman who spoke to the AP anonymously due to fears of repercussions from Panamanian authorities. Upon her release, her first priority was to find a Coca-Cola, followed by a way back to the U.S. “I still want to continue to go to the United States and fulfill my American dream,” she expressed.
