When the first buses delivered recently deported migrants to Panama City from a remote detention camp, the scene was marked by distress. Among the newcomers, three individuals were visibly struggling with health issues; one required H.I.V. treatment, another had run out of insulin, and a third was suffering from seizures. The atmosphere was thick with confusion and dread as one migrant expressed the prevalent sentiment, “What am I going to do? Where am I going to go?”
These were the cries of dozens of migrants expelled to Panama last month by the Trump administration as part of a broader initiative to deport millions from the United States. Initially, Panamanian authorities confined approximately 300 deportees in a hotel. However, those who opted against returning to their home countries were relocated to a guarded camp on the outskirts of a jungle. Following a legal challenge and significant pressure from advocacy groups, these deportees were eventually released and transported back to the capital.
Now, migrants hailing from countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Uzbekistan find themselves in a land that offers little support. They are currently residing in a gymnasium converted into a shelter by an aid organization, catching scant sleep on makeshift mattresses, and wandering through each day with no clear plan for their future. The lack of resources, compounded by the indifference of local authorities, leaves them trapped in a precarious situation, unsure of where to turn next as they navigate their newfound uncertainty.
