Panama has reported to India that a contingent of Indian citizens, who had been deported from the United States, has arrived safely in the country. The Indian Embassy in Panama is engaged in close cooperation with the government of Panama for the welfare of the deportees after gaining successful consular access.
On Thursday, the Indian Embassy in Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua posted the update on X but did not confirm the number of Indian nationals in question.
The 299 deportees are among a larger group of migrants deported to Panama by the US government. The deportees had arrived in three different flights last week, after Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino agreed to permit Panama to serve as a "bridge" nation for deportees.
This follows the overall trend of the Trump administration, which has promised to deport millions of people who had entered the country illegally.
"The Panamanian government has told us that a group of Indians have arrived in Panama from the US," the Embassy tweeted on X. "They are safe and sound at a hotel with all the amenities. The embassy team has secured consular access and is closely coordinating with the host government to see to their welfare," the tweet stated.
In the past few months, three groups of 332 Indians have been repatriated to India from the US under a wider crackdown on illegal immigration by the Trump administration.
Of the 299 migrants who crossed into Panama, 171 have volunteered to return to their countries of origin. But 98 deportees who refused to be repatriated voluntarily have been taken to a camp in Panama's Darien province.
Besides Panama, Costa Rica has also committed to being a "bridge" for the repatriation of illegal immigrants from the US.
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