Mon Feb 24 22:30:00 UTC 2025: ## Hundreds of Deportees Trapped in Panama City Hotel

**Panama City** – Approximately 300 migrants, deported from the United States to Panama, are being held against their will in the Decapolis Hotel in Panama City. Denied access to lawyers and barred from leaving their rooms, the group, comprised of individuals from countries including Iran, Cameroon, India, Afghanistan and China, are trapped in a desperate situation.

Photographer Federico Rios, working alongside New York Times reporter Julie Turkewitz, documented the migrants’ plight. Rios captured images of individuals huddled by windows, desperately displaying handwritten pleas for help (“HELP US”) on napkins and windowpanes. Many concealed their faces fearing repercussions in their home countries.

Among those detained are 10 Iranian families who converted to Christianity, a crime punishable by death under Iranian law. These families, along with other migrants, had recently attempted to seek asylum in the United States but were subsequently deported to Panama, a country that will not accept them. Many arrived at the US border from countries experiencing conflict or persecution.

The migrants are reportedly living in fear, communicating with journalists through furtive gestures, handwritten notes, and limited use of hidden cell phones. The situation raises serious concerns about the human rights implications of the US deportation policy, leaving vulnerable individuals in a precarious and potentially life-threatening situation. The lack of access to legal representation further exacerbates their plight. The article calls for international attention to this unfolding humanitarian crisis.

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