US expels Uzbek migrants to Panama as immigration crackdown continues

The United States has begun deporting Uzbek migrants who were in the country illegally to Panama, The New York Times reports.

According to the publication, a US military flight transported a group of Asian migrants, including Uzbek citizens, from US immigration detention to Panama.

“This is the first known deportation under the Trump administration,” the report states.

Among those deported were adults and families with children from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, and Uzbekistan. Another military flight is expected to transport additional Asian and African deportees in the coming days.

“This is the first of three planned flights that are expected to include about 360 people in total. It is not a big deal,” the report adds.

On February 13, the US State Department confirmed that Panama had accepted the first flight under a new agreement with the Trump administration, allowing the US to deport non-Panamanian migrants to the Central American country.

The deportation flight reportedly carried 119 individuals from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. The US government is covering the costs of the deportations under the agreement.

The Trump administration has been negotiating additional deportation deals, though it remains unclear how many more will be signed.

The report highlights that Panama’s willingness to accept deportees comes at a time when former President Donald Trump has expressed interest in regaining control of the Panama Canal, which the US transferred to Panama in 1999. However, Panamanian leaders have firmly rejected this idea.

Earlier this month, the US Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested 100 people, including Uzbek citizens, for violating federal immigration laws in Puerto Rico. The arrests were part of a nationwide operation launched on January 26 following Trump’s orders to intensify efforts against illegal immigration.