The Trump administration sent 300 or so deportees from the U.S. to Panama to be held until they could be returned to their countries of origin. After first detaining them under police guard in a hotel, the Panamanian government moved 97 deportees (including children) to a jungle camp late Tuesday night. Eight more were to follow. The camp is located in Panama’s Darien province, the main thoroughfare for South American migrants. Those sent there had refused to be repatriated to their countries. Now they’re stuck in limbo, waiting for third countries to accept them. The U.S. deportees in the camp are now reporting being fed stale bread and housed in fenced cages like a zoo.
Deportees Sent to Darien Region Camp
According to Panama’s Security Minister Frank Abrego, 171 of the original 300 or so migrants have agreed to return to their respective countries. The transition timeline for those held in the jungle camp remains unclear. Darien lies on the densely forested Colombian border, and conditions in the camp are reportedly poor. Those detained in the Panamanian hotel, meanwhile, held up signs calling for help. That help may not come. The alliance between the U.S. military, police, and white supremacists runs deep. Trump and his allies are feeding a centuries-old inferno.
A TikTok on the subject by @millennial.elder garnered over 51k likes and numerous comments expressing outrage at the actions of Trump and the Panamanian government. Many were quick to call out the historical parallels, with even the video’s search recommendation weighing in. “The button at the bottom of this tiktok literally says ‘learn facts about the Holocaust’ [sic],” said one commenter. Others were more concerned with those responsible for the deportations. As one put it,
Oh, Republicans are getting creative in their cruelty! Weren’t they pro- life? [sic]
Xenophobia and fascism have swelled under Trump. That said, liberals have also played a crucial role in the persecution of migrants, Black people, and people of color. Many of the detention facilities now operational under Trump performed the same or similar work under Biden, Obama, and others. Trump’s offenses are heinous, but they aren’t original. Now, deportations and detentions in the U.S. are escalating. Speaking out on behalf of the Panama deportees, as well as those in the Guantanamo camps and beyond, will only become more important in time.
