Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images
- Author, Cecilia Barría, Santiago Vanegas y Ángel Bermúdez
- Role, BBC News Mundo
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“Abeg help us,” na di message wey dem write on piece of paper wey two girls hold up through di window of one room for di luxury Decápolis hotel for Panama City.
Di hotel offer dia clients rooms wit sea views, e get two exclusive restaurants, swimming pool, spa and private transportation. But di hotel don become “temporary custody” centre wey dey house 299 migrants wey dem deport from di US, di Panamanian goment tok on Tuesday.
Some migrants raise dia arms and cross dem at di wrists to show say dem dey deprive dem of dia freedom. Odas hang small sign wit messages such as: “We no dey safe in our kontri.”
Dis migrants, dey part of di undocumented pipo wey Trump administration deport from di US, dem arrive for Panama on three flights last week.
President José Raúl Mulino recently agree say Panama go become di “bridge” kontri for deportees wey dem force to comot from US.
Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images
Howeva, di 299 migrants – from India, China, Uzbekistan, Iran, Vietnam, Turkey, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka – only 171 don agree to return to dia kontris of origin.
Di remainder dey face more uncertain future.
According to di Panamanian goment, dem go transfer dis group to camp in di province of Darién, wey don temporarily house migrants wey dey cross di jungle to di US.
Bifor tourists fit enta and leave di hotel wit ease, but now heavily armed members of di Panamanian National Aeronaval Service don enforce strict security measures inside and outside di building.
From di street, pipo dey hang di clothes wey dem wash for window. One of di items na yellow Lakers basketball jersey wit di number 24, wey legendary player Kobe Bryant don wear.
For anoda window, one group of adults and three children don raise dia arms wit dia thumbs for dia palms – di international symbol for pipo wey need assistance. “Help us,” dem write am in red letters on di glass.
Two minors wey cover dia faces hold up sheets of paper against di glass wit di message: “Abeg save di Afghan girls.”
Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images
‘We dey fear’
One Iranian woman wey dey live for Panama for some years tell di BBC say she dey in contact wit one of di migrants wey dey inside di hotel and dem dey “fear” say dem fit return to Iran.
She tok say wen she enta di hotel to offer help as Farsi translator, dem tok say dem don already help dem, although according to sources wey dey inside di hotel, e no be true, she tok.
Using hidden mobile phone, since di contact wit pipo wey dey outside of di Decápolis hotel reportedly no dey allowed, di Iranian woman tok say migrant tell her say “several minors dey trapped” for di hotel, wey dem don deny lawyer and dem no allow dem to comot from dia rooms even to go chop.
Afta di media first report di story of di deportees on Tuesday, security measures put in place dey tight and dem don cut migrants access to di internet, di Iranian woman tok.
Di BBC contact both di Decápolis hotel and di Panamanian goment to inquire about di conditions wey dem hold di migrants down, but dem neva send any respons.
Howeva, di Minister of Public Security of Panama Frank Ábrego tok say migrants no dey allowed to comot from di hotel say im goment must guarantee di safety and peace of di Panamanians.
Video wey dem post on social media on di weekend show one of di migrants wey describe for Farsi how dem detain dem afta dem cross di border to di US and tell dem say dem go take dem to Texas, but end up in Panama.
Di woman in di video insist say dia lives dey in danger if dem return to Iran becos of possible attack of di goment.
Her intention, she tok say, na to seek political asylum.
Analysts say dis go dey difficult to obtain witout access to lawyer – even more so wen di Panamanian goment don announce dem no go offer di access to deportees.
Wia dis foto come from, Reuters
‘Temporary custody’
On Tuesday, Ábrego say di migrants go remain temporarily for Panama unda di protection of di kontri authorities.
“Wetin we agree wit di US goment be say dem dey here and go remain for temporary custody for dia protection,” e tok.
E also warn say pipo wey migrants wey no wish to return to dia kontri of origin go need to choose third kontri.
In dat case, e say, di International Organization for Migration (IOM) and di United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) go dey responsible for dia return.
Wia dis foto come from, EPA
Ábrego tok say di migrants dey live for Decápolis hotel becos of im capacity to receive dem.
Anoda senior official tok say “dem no dey expect di arrival of more migrants” becos no more flights.
Panama don gree to be “bridge” kontri for deportations afta di visit of di US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to di kontri amid tensions ova Trump threats to “recover” sovereignty of di Panama Canal.
One IOM tok-tok pesin tell di BBC say di organisation wey dey charge of “providing essential support” to pipo wey dem deport from di US.
“We dey work wit local officials to help pipo wey dey affected, supporting di pipo wey voluntary wan return and identifying safe alternatives for odas,” e tok.
“While we no get direct involvement in di detention or restriction of movement of pipo, we dey committed to ensuring say dem dey treat all migrants wit respect and in accordance wit international standards,” e tok.
Wia dis foto come from, EPA
Muzaffar Chishti, senior researcher for di Migration Policy Institute – think tank in di US – tok say many of di deportees dey come from nations wey no dey open to accepting di return of nationals wey dem deport from di US.
“By sending dem to Panama, di US no dey for di foto,” e tok. “Na headache for Panama to take charge of di negotiations and see how dis kontri go agree to take dem again.”
Dis week, flight wey dey carry deportees from di US go arrive for Costa Rica, anoda Central American kontri wey don agree wit Washington to become “bridge” on di path of migrants on uncertain journey.
Additional reporting by Sheida Hooshmandi, BBC Persian