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India is working closely with the authorities in Panama to ensure the well-being of Indian migrants deported by the United States to the Latin American country. The Indian embassy in Panama said the migrants are safe and secure at the hotel where they are detained.
"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 said in a post on X.
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 pic.twitter.com/fdFT82YVhS
— India in Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica (@IndiainPanama) February 20, 2025
The statement came a day after a report claimed nearly 300 individuals from various countries, including Iran, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China, who were deported from the United States under President Donald Trump, were confined in a hotel in Panama. Some of those deportees resorted to displaying desperate messages for "help" on their hotel room windows, stating "We are not save (sic) in our country".
ALSO READ: Indians Among 300 US Deportees Seen Crying For Help From Panama Hotel Window
Panama, however, has denied accusations of detaining migrants against their will after individuals were seen holding signs pleading for help from hotel windows.
Panama's Security Minister Frank Abrego said these illegal migrants from the US were receiving medical attention and food at the hotel as part of a migration agreement between Panama and the US. However, they are not allowed to leave the hotel while international authorities arrange for their return to their countries of origin.
The US has been using Panama as a transit country for deportees due to difficulties in deporting individuals directly to certain countries. Costa Rica is also expected to receive a similar flight of third-country deportees on Wednesday.
Trump, however, took a hard line against undocumented migrants during last year's US election campaign, describing some as "monsters" and "animals." On his first day in office last month, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern US border and vowed to deport "millions and millions" of migrants.