Nearly 300 people, including Indians, deported from the United States, are being held in a hotel in Panama. The deportees are not allowed to leave as Panama waits for international authorities to organise a return to their countries.
The migrants are mostly from 10 Asian countries, including Iran, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and others, reported AP.
Migrants in the hotel rooms displayed placards with messages reading “Help” and “We are not save (sic) in our country.”
Authorities say that more than 40% of the migrants won’t voluntarily return to their homeland.
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Panama’s security minister Frank Abrego said that the migrants are receiving medical attention and food as part of a migration agreement between Panama and the US.
The Panamanian government has now agreed to serve as a “bridge” or transit country for deportees, while the US bears all the costs of the operation. This agreement was announced earlier this month after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit.
Of the 300 people, around 50 people are presumed to be Indians. Indian authorities have started the process of verifying their nationality.
The Indian Embassy on Thursday said that the migrants are safe and secure at the hotel with all essential facilities.
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“Panamanian authorities have informed us that a group of Indians have reached Panama from the US. They are safe and secure at a hotel with all essential facilities. The Embassy team has obtained consular access,” the embassy said on X. “We are working closely with the host Government to ensure their wellbeing.”
People familiar with the matter on Thursday told Hindustan Times that once the nationality is verified, they will be issued emergency certificates so that they can return to India.
Panama and Costa Rica are among the Central American countries that are collaborating with the US to repatriate deported migrants. The US is sending undocumented migrants from several Asian countries, who have refused to return home or whose governments have refused to accept them, to the Central American nations.
