The administration of the US president Donald Trump deported migrants from several Asian countries, including Uzbekistan, to Panama, The New York Times and Reuters reported.
A US Air Force plane departed from California on the evening of 12 February, carrying 119 individuals, including families, from Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey.
President of Panama José Raúl Mulino confirmed the migrants' arrival, stating that they were temporarily accommodated in a hotel before being transferred to a shelter in Darién province on the Colombian border. From there, they will be repatriated to their home countries on US-funded flights under the supervision of the United Nations' International Organization for Migration.
This flight marks the first deportation under a new agreement between the governments of Panama and the United States, allowing the US to deport third-country nationals to the Central American country. According to Mulino, the US plans to deport a total of 360 people to Panama, with two more military flights expected, though their dates remain undisclosed.
Panama’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that the deported migrants were detained after illegally crossing the US border and had no criminal records.
According to CBS News, US authorities have long struggled with deporting migrants from Africa and Asia due to the vast distances required to return them to the Eastern hemisphere, as well as the reluctance of some governments to accept deportation flights.
The New York Times also stated that certain countries are hesitant to take back their nationals.
However, an official at the US embassy in Uzbekistan told Gazeta.uz that the United States “categorically reject the New York Times' insinuation” that Uzbekistan is uncooperative with US deportation operations.
“To the contrary, Uzbekistan has been, and continues to be, a steadfast and cooperative US partner across a robust bilateral agenda, including its response to US requests for migrant deportations.,” the official stressed.
“In recent years, the government of Uzbekistan has worked closely with US authorities to facilitate the deportations of hundreds of its citizens who unlawfully entered the United States. As this is a priority for president Trump and his new administration, we have recently reinvigorated our efforts in cooperation with the government of Uzbekistan,” the representative of the diplomatic mission added.
In December 2023, the US deported 119 Uzbekistan’s nationals who entered the country illegally. The US embassy urged Uzbekistan’s citizens to use “safe and legal” pathways for travel to the United States, emphasizing that those who enter unlawfully will be “swiftly expelled”. The mission also reiterated that the US is working “closely” with the Uzbekistan’s government to return nationals without legal grounds to stay in the US.
