‘We are not safe…’: Indian deportees held in Panama show ‘help us’ placards from hotel window

Many of these individuals have undergone previous dangerous journeys through Latin America, with the hope of entering the US.

Written by FE News Desk

Updated: February 22, 2025 13:54 IST

Women pleading for help with play cards at a Panama hotel where deported migrants from Asia and the Middle East have been held. (Photo source: Reuters)

Around 300 migrants, including a significant number of Indian nationals, have been held in Panama City after being deported from the United States. Many of these individuals have undergone previous dangerous journeys through Latin America, with the hope of entering the US. They all have been sent back to a transit hub where their future continues to be unclear, as reported by the Associated Press.

The deportees are from India, Pakistan, China, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Iran, Afghanistan and other nations. As there are challenges in sending back these individuals to these countries, the US and Panama have a deal to temporarily keep these deportees in Panama before being repatriated. However, more than 40% of the detainees are refusing to return and have expressed their concerns regarding safety and fears of economic instability.

Plea for help

Videos and images from the Panama City hotel where the deportees have been held showed migrants displaying signs on the windows that read ‘’Help’’ and ‘’We are not safe in our country.’’

Panama holds nearly 300 deportees including Indians in hotel as US deportation process continues

Several of them have alleged that they were deceived by human traffickers, and have spent their life savings to travel via multiple countries with a hope to reach the US. Now they are facing detention without any clear resolution.

Panama’s security Minister Frank Abrego has stated to The Associated Press, that the migrants are being provided with food and medical aid but human rights organizations advocated that being captivated under police watch is imprisonment. Local activists informed that the psychological toll on the detainees continue to grow as they remain in a state of uncertainty.

Uncertain future of migrants

In an attempt to resolve the growing issue, Panama has shifted some deportees to a facility situated at Darien province, a region known for its unsafe jungle migration routes. These individuals will remain there until the third countries accept them to take them in.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency are actively working to resolve the crisis. However, no clear resolution has been finalised, leaving hundreds of deportees including Indian nationals stranded.

(With inputs from AP)

This article was first uploaded on February twenty, twenty twenty-five, at thirty-six minutes past eleven in the morning.