Panama recently released dozens of migrants who were deported from the U.S. They were held in a remote camp for weeks, and now after their release, many don’t know what to do. Many people are now in legal limbo, without money and a place to go. Authorities have stated that deportees will have 60 days if needed, but after that options are uncertain. Panama has stated it wants to work with the Trump administration to deter people from migrating. Human rights groups and lawyers advocating for the deportees were waiting for them, and scrambled to find them shelter and resources. Among those getting off the transportation buses were people fleeing unstable conditions in Iran and Pakistan. Those who were released cannot return home, and Panama faces human rights violations as the migrants were kept in poor conditions.
This makes me question what will happen to deportees in the future. After the treatment of migrants in Panama, it is up to its government to decide how to treat migrants in the future. If the US sends them anywhere, they will likely send them to other Central American countries with camps that can house them. Trump does not intend to lighten punishment for migrants anytime soon, as seen by his administration’s treatment of Mahmoud Khalil. While it is important to screen for migrants who will commit crimes, there are also very many who are just seeking a better life. Not all of them are a threat to the US’ national security.
Panama will likely make conditions better for migrant camps now that its human rights record has been called into question. However, that depends on if more migrants will actually be sent there. Human rights violations don’t look good anywhere, considering it is accepted in most societies to treat (certain) humans well. The fact that thousands of people are fleeing corruption and persecution in their home countries means that they will need a safe place to stay, and the US happens to be one of the safest in the world. However, now that the current administration is more unwelcoming than the previous, migrants will either have to find somewhere else or risk detainment in the US.