They Are Safe, Says India Amid US Deportees ‘Help Us’ Message From Hotel In Panama

Delhi: India is working closely with local authorities to ensure well-being of deportees, who arrived in Panama from the US, the embassy informed on Thursday.

“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.

But the post did not disclose the number of Indians deported to the Latin American country.

The statement came as the deportees flashed messages for “help” from windows of Decapolis Hotel in Panama, stating “We are not safe in our country”, where they were being held under police guard and barred from leaving.

Panama, however, 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. They are not allowed to leave the hotel while international authorities arrange for their return to their countries of origin, the NDTV reported, quoting Panama’s Security Minister Frank Abrego.

According to reports, 299 individuals, including a group of Indians, landed in Panama in three flights last week after President Jose Raul Mulino agreed to play “the bridge” for the illegal migrants as the US was finding it difficult to directly deport individuals to certain countries.

Among these, only 171 have agreed to return to their home countries. The remaining 98, who refused voluntary repatriation, have been sent to a camp in Panama’s Darien province. Most of these deportees are from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China, according to an Associated Press report.

Notably, the Donal Trump administration has vowed to deport millions of people who entered the US illegally.

Meanwhile, the US has already sent three batches of Indians, totalling 332, back to India as part of its intensified crackdown on illegal immigration.