New Delhi: Indian nationals who migrated to the US illegally have been deported to Panama as part of Donald Trump’s policy to repatriate third country nationals to migrant holding centres in central America.
The Indian Embassy in Panama confirmed it had received consular access to Indians who have reached the country and have since been housed in a hotel. Last week, around 300 migrants seeking asylum in the US were transferred to Panama City and detained at the Decapolis Hotel, according to a report by The New York Times.
“Panamanian authorities have informed us that a group of Indians have reached Panama from US. They are safe and secure at a hotel with all essential facilities. Embassy team has obtained consular access. We are working closely with the host Government to ensure their wellbeing,” the Embassy of India in Panama said in a post on X.
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Panama, along with Guatemala and Costa Rica, have agreed to collaborate with the US to repatriate deported migrants. The central American nations have faced pressure from the Trump administration to aid in the deportation process.
Costa Rica in a statement Monday said a plane carrying nationals assumed to be Indian was expected to land Wednesday in the country. Costa Rica and Panama will now have to verify the nationality of the deported migrants and coordinate their repatriation.
Trump made the repatriation of illegal migrants a central plank of his administration after his inauguration last month. The administration allowed the US military to cooperate with security agencies to handle the deportation.
For Panama, cooperating with the US is important, given the threats it has faced from Trump over the fate of the Panama Canal. The important waterway was handed over to the Central American nation by the US following a treaty in 1977. Trump believes China has undue influence over the Panama Canal, and has threatened to recapture the waterway.
“Secretary Rubio informed President Mulino and Minister Martínez-Acha that President Trump has made a preliminary determination that the current position of influence and control of the Chinese Communist Party over the Panama Canal area is a threat to the canal and represents a violation of the Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal,” the US State Department said in a readout of a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Panama President José Raúl Mulino on 2 February in Panama City.
The statement further added if the status quo continued, the US reserved the right to take “measures necessary” to protect its interests in the Panama Canal. Rubio visited Panama, El Salvador and Costa Rica between 1 and 6 February as a part of the new administration’s efforts to make it clear what it expects from these nations going forward.
Also read: Jaishankar tells RS deportation flights ‘not new’, US deported nearly 16,000 Indians since 2009
US military planes repatriate Indians
At least three US military aircraft carrying Indians have landed in Amritsar in the last few weeks. The first flight brought home 104 Indians, while the second flight, which landed Saturday, had 119 nationals, primarily from Punjab and Haryana. A third flight landed late Sunday night with 112 Indians on board.
The use of restraints including leg shackles by US authorities created a controversy recently in the Indian Parliament. This led to a statement from External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Rajya Sabha, where he clarified that restraints in deportation flights were standard operating procedure for the US since 2012.
India has cooperated with the US on the return of Indian migrants attempting to enter the North American country illegally. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear, during a joint press conference with Trump on 13 February in Washington DC that all verified nationals would be welcomed back.
Modi slammed the “ecosystem” that thrived on promoting illegal migration to the US, seeking cooperation from the Trump administration to help end organisations that support such activities.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
Also read: US deportations are typical Trump theatrics, redrawing American borders with permanent markers
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Publish date : 2025-02-19 18:53:00
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