Realidad Turística
CUN-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Intecap
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Agexport
Walmart
Barceló Solymar
Cubasol
MuniGuate
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
AVA Resorts
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
Los Portales
Herbalife
blackanddecker
Nestle
MITM Events
INTERFER
INOR
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba

Trump Is Making Central America Become a Dumping Ground for US Immigrants

Date:

Share:

Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
INTERFER
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
Intecap
MITM Events
Los Portales
AVA Resorts
blackanddecker
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
Nestle
INOR
Herbalife
Realidad Turística
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

President bullying countries’ leaders into collaborating with his deportation agenda that critics say violates rights.

Central America has long been a source of immigrants, and in recent years, it’s also become a major transit route for those from around the world heading to the United States.

That shift led to record numbers of immigrants arriving at the US border, and contributed to the supposed crisis that helped Donald Trump win the election this past November.

Now, little more than a month since his inauguration day, Trump is strong-arming Central American leaders into collaborating with his hardline immigration agenda, forcing their countries to act as a dumping ground for immigrants that the United States can’t simply deport back to their home countries.

“In Trump’s first term, it was said that it was a transactional logic,” said Ana María Méndez-Dardón, Central America director for the Washington Office on Latin America. “In this case, I would say that it’s one of imposition, a logic of threats.”

The threats, such as to take back the Panama Canal or impose tariffs, have forced a flurry of deals between Washington and Central American countries that have little to gain from cooperation, but potentially much to lose.

“It’s clear that there’s a new order of relations in this matter where things are demanded of countries that are not in a position to refuse,” said Marcela Martino, deputy director of Central America and Mexico for the Center for Justice and International Law.

Caught in the middle are hundreds of immigrants from Asia and the Middle East who have been deported to Panama and Costa Rica as part of an experiment of sorts that observers say lacks transparency and could violate their rights.

“There is talk of shelters and humanitarian assistance, but the truth is that these people are detained with no option of leaving and with no certainty that they are guaranteed at least the right to request asylum,” said Martino.

Lawyers and independent human rights organizations have been denied access to the shelters and the migrants have reportedly had their cellphones and passports confiscated by officials.

During Trump’s first term, his administration attempted to outsource the asylum process through so-called safe third country agreements with Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, but only the agreement with the last country was briefly implemented before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This time around, the Trump administration has shut down the asylum system entirely and is attempting to turn Central American countries into a staging ground or for migrants whose countries of origin lack diplomatic relations with Washington or refuse to accept deportation flights.

On 13 February, Panama – under immense pressure due to a dispute manufactured by Trump over its famous canal – became the first country to receive immigrants from the US under this new strategy when it received a military plane carrying 119 people.

Since then, hundreds more immigrants from countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, China, Pakistan and others have been deported to Panama and Costa Rica. While some have agreed to be transported onward to their home countries, others have refused, including 128 of the 299 immigrants that arrived in Panama.

These immigrants have fallen into a legal limbo with an uncertain future, epitomized by a viral photo of a young Iranian migrant who scrawled “help” on the window of a Panama City hotel where she and family members were temporarily held before being transported to a remote shelter in the Darién Gap – far from the cameras.

Versions of these bridge agreements, which often include increased border security, have also been agreed upon with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras – with the third country facilitating the transfer of 177 Venezuelan migrants who had been held at Guantánamo military base and were immediately boarded on a plane back home upon arriving at a joint Honduras-US air force base outside Tegucigalpa.

The United States has agreed to cover the cost of sheltering the immigrants abroad, but it is unclear for how long – and if this is only the beginning of a much larger movement yet to come.

“We don’t know what the plans are, whether it’s to see what happens with this, whether it’s to be able to receive others, whether this is an example to replicate in other countries,” said Martino.

The presidents of Panama and Costa Rica have portrayed the arrival of the deportees as only temporary. But if the numbers grow and the stays become prolonged, they and other leaders who implement the bridge agreements could be forced to make a difficult calculation between staying in the good graces of Trump while avoiding domestic backlash.

“It’s difficult to understand to what extent governments are willing to accept these types of conditions and how this will impact domestic narratives,” said Martino. (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/02/trump-central-america-immigrants-deportation)

Los Portales
Herbalife
MuniGuate
Nestle
MITM Events
INTERFER
INOR
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Barceló Solymar
Cubasol
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
CUN-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
AVA Resorts
blackanddecker
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
Walmart
Realidad Turística
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Agexport
Intecap
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Revista Colombiana de Turismo Passport
INTERFER
Havanatur
Blue Diamond Resorts
Intecap
Hotel Barcelo Solymar
Hotel Holiday Inn Guatemala
AirEuropa
Barcelo Guatemala City
MuniGuate
Cubacel
Maggi - GLUTEN-FREE
Henkel Latinoamerica

Subscribe to our magazine

━ more like this

Pole Dancing in Israel: A New Dimension with BlueDance.co.il

In recent years, pole dancing has experienced a remarkable transformation, shifting from a misunderstood niche to a popular activity combining fitness, self-expression, and empowerment....

A New Luxury Hotel Just Opened on An Idyllic Beach in Cancun, Mexico — And We Were the First to Stay

Waldorf Astoria Cancun opened to the public on Nov. 1, the brand's first new build in Mexico, with two waterfront pools and a fantastic...

Nicaragua Presents Its New Interoceanic Canal Route to China and Seeks to Compete with Panama

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes With a length of 445 kilometers, in a second attempt, the Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, presents China with a new...

US Lawmakers Join Requests to Extend TPS To Central Americans

The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Robert Menendez, along with other legislators gathered outside the Capitol this Thursday to express his...

Barbados Airport Receives 54 Flights in One Day

On Saturday, December 21, 54 planes arrived at Barbados’ Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA), marking a historic milestone for the airport and the tourism...
Maggi - GLUTEN-FREE
Hotel Barcelo Solymar
Blue Diamond Resorts
Henkel Latinoamerica
Cubacel
INTERFER
Intecap
Hotel Holiday Inn Guatemala
Barcelo Guatemala City
Revista Colombiana de Turismo Passport
AirEuropa
Havanatur

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Los Portales
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
Realidad Turística
blackanddecker
Nestle
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
MITM Events
Cubasol
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
INOR
INTERFER
Walmart
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Agexport
AVA Resorts
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
Barceló Solymar
MuniGuate
Intecap
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Herbalife