News
Wednesday 19th February 2025.
February 18, 2025
Three flights with migrants have arrived in Panama from the United States (US). They are people of various nationalities: Iran, China, Afghanistan, Syria, among others. There are 297 men, women and children, and they are staying at the Decápolis hotel, located a few steps from Avenida Balboa.
The plans of the government of José Raúl Mulino include transferring them to a migrant shelter in Darién and, from there, sending them to their countries. Initially, it was planned to transport them this Tuesday, but the strategy changed in the last few hours, according to official sources.
In this way, Panama became a host country for migrants from the country governed by Donald Trump. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and public security forces are faced with a dilemma: how to send them back to their countries of origin? What legal basis would support this action?
The issue even made it to the pages of The New York Times , which published an article entitled: While Trump “exports” deportees, hundreds remain trapped in a hotel in Panama.
The report includes testimonies from some of these migrants. “ At least one person tried to commit suicide at the hotel, according to several migrants. Another broke a leg trying to escape. A third sent a plaintive message from a hidden mobile phone: ‘Only a miracle can save us’ ,” reads the report, signed by five journalists.
The deportees arrived in the country during a period marked by tensions between Panama and the United States, due to the threat of US President Donald Trump to regain control of the Panama Canal, alleging alleged interference by China in its operation. During the visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Panama , the immigration issue was put on the table. President José Raúl Mulino announced that Panama would deport migrants from the US through a runway in Metetí, Darién.
“Now it will be up to the Panamanian authorities to decide what happens to them. Since the deported migrants are no longer in the United States, Washington has no legal obligation to ensure that they receive humane treatment or the opportunity to request asylum,” reads the article in The New York Times.
Indeed, La Prensa learned that the issue has generated tensions within the Foreign Ministry, as the legal basis for his deportation remains unclear.
“Panama’s president has said the plan is to send people back to their home countries, but if the United States cannot easily send deportees back to certain countries, it is unclear how Panama will do so,” the American newspaper said.
The outlet cites Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, who called the Panama plan part of “a whole new era of law enforcement,” in which Washington is coercing other nations to become part of its “deportation machinery.”
The issue has provoked multiple reactions at the local level. Former independent deputy Juan Diego Vásquez is one of those who raised his voice.
” This requires an IMMEDIATE explanation from the Central Government and the undivided attention of the Ombudsman. It is very delicate because Article 17 of the Constitution is clear and the authorities are instituted to defend the life and honor of all ,” he wrote on his account on the social network X, formerly Twitter.
The arrival of a new Nicaraguan ambassador to Panama could unblock a recurring problem in the last two governments: the use of a diplomatic delegation to engage in politics by former President Ricardo Martinelli , convicted of money laundering.
First, it happened with the administration of Laurentino Cortizo (2019-2024), who refused to grant Martinelli safe passage to seek asylum in Nicaragua. Now, the situation is repeated with his fellow party member, President José Raúl Mulino, whom Martinelli constantly criticizes, openly or covertly, for his government decisions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to this media that on January 31 it received copies of the credentials of Ambassador Jessica Yaoska Padilla Leiva and that, in the coming days, it will present them to Mulino, who plans to discuss the issue of the safe conduct with the new official.
Martinelli has used the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama, where he has been in asylum since February 7, 2024, as a kind of headquarters from which he interferes in the country’s political affairs. Last Saturday, for example, he financed the publication of a message on the social network X in which he used a war metaphor and tagged his party Realizing Goals to give visibility to an activity of one of the unions that are currently fueling protests against Bill 163, which reforms the Social Security Fund (CSS).
On Tuesday, dozens of people who claimed to be members of the party Realizing Goals , a collective founded by Martinelli, protested in front of the Presidency of the Republic demanding jobs from President José Raúl Mulino.
Panama has requested a “thorough review of its information exchange procedures” from the Global Forum of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) , with the aim of being removed from the discriminatory lists of the European Union .
This was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which also states that the European Commission has decided to reclassify Panama to Annex II of its list of cooperation in tax matters. This means that the country would be making an effort to comply with Europe’s demands.
The Foreign Ministry’s version contrasts with the European Union’s report of Tuesday, February 18, which maintains Panama on the list of tax havens, as it claims that the country maintains “a harmful regime of exemption of income from foreign sources.”
The Annex II definition indicates that countries in that classification seek to “reform their legislation to adhere to agreed standards of good tax governance.”
According to the official list of the European Union, Panama does not appear in that classification. What the organization and the Panamanian authorities agree on is that the country requested a review of the procedures for the exchange of information.
The OECD Global Forum is due to conduct this review by 17 July 2026.
According to Publio de Gracia, former director of the General Directorate of Revenue (DGI), this list is not about matters related to political issues or matters related to corruption or other crimes, but about compliance with “tax issues.”
He also explained that Panama, like other countries, maintains a territorial income system, a fiscal model that taxes only income generated within the country, which, in his opinion, the European Union interprets “unfairly” as detrimental to its interests.
In this regard, he said that “technical and political lobbying” is necessary to explain to European authorities that territorial income does not harm their interests, but rather seeks a more equitable and competitive relationship in the global market.
Since the beginning of his administration and during his tour of Europe last year, President José Raúl Mulino has warned that he would veto EU companies from future tenders in the country if the European bloc did not remove Panama from its list of tax havens.
“Panama will not allow any country that keeps us on that list to participate in the international tenders that we have starting next year,” warned Mulino at the end of his official visit to France on October 23.
In October 2023, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) removed Panama from its grey list of non-cooperative jurisdictions in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.
“The FATF determined that the Republic of Panama has strengthened its system for preventing money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism,” the MEF statement said at the time.
The Panama-David railway project is emerging as a key element for the country’s development, by strategically connecting the provinces of Coclé, Herrera, Veraguas and Chiriquí with the logistics hub of the Panama Canal.
This was highlighted by the Western Region Competitiveness Center (Cecomro) in a socioeconomic analysis that highlights the impact of this project on the national economy, according to information from the Presidency of the Republic.
During a strategic meeting, headed by Henry Faarup , National Secretary of the Railway, and Felipe Ariel Rodríguez, representative of Cecomro, the importance of this infrastructure as an essential pillar for sustainable growth was reaffirmed .
The meeting was also attended by the Undersecretary of the National Railway Secretariat, Manuel Arias, who emphasized that Panama has the resources and conditions necessary to make this initiative a reality.
Connectivity between the railroad and the Panama Canal will optimize the distribution of products at a national and international level, strengthening the competitiveness of the regions involved. According to Cecomro, this integration will improve trade and facilitate access to key markets, boosting agricultural and industrial production in the interior of the country.
Experts from the international consultancy firm AECOM presented the findings of the study on the impact of the project, structured in six thematic blocks. The role of the railway as a driver of national integration, its contribution to GDP growth and its relevance in the main productive centres were addressed. In addition, the need to generate a political, social and economic environment that guarantees its viability was highlighted.
As part of the meeting, a roadmap for the implementation of the project was presented, detailing the next steps for its execution.
Former Panamanian Foreign Minister Erika Mouynes said that the Panama Canal Neutrality Treaty has not been violated and that fees for the use of the maritime route are set in a transparent manner.
Mouynes participated last week in the Global Security Conference , held in the German city of Munich, where leaders from different parts of the world addressed various issues.
The former Minister of Foreign Affairs participated in various panels and round tables on the new world order and the reality of Latin America, among others.
The issue of the administration of the Panama Canal did not go unnoticed and, before international media, Mouynes made clear the situation of the waterway , highlighting that it has been successfully operated for more than 25 years by Panamanians.
“Let’s get things straight. Panama owns, operates and controls the Canal. We have been doing this successfully for more than 25 years,” Mouynes said in one of the interviews he gave in Germany.
“The only treaty that is still in force is the Neutrality Treaty. This has been ratified by more than 60 countries and guarantees that the Panama Canal remains open, neutral and accessible to all, and has never been violated,” said the former foreign minister, while recalling that the Panama Canal Treaty has already expired.
He recalled that 50% of the transits are recorded through the expanded Canal, which was built and is owned by the Panamanians.
“The Panama Canal charges transparent and equal rates for everyone. There are no distinctions or exceptions. In fact, every time there is an adjustment in rates, the toll process goes through a public consultation in which all global shipping companies participate, who can give their opinion and feedback,” stressed Mouynes, who participated in this global forum as part of his ties with the American university of Harvard.
The administration of the interoceanic route, in Panamanian hands since December 31, 1999, gained greater importance when the president of the United States, Donald Trump , threatened to recover the Canal due to alleged Chinese influence and unfair treatment in tariffs for vessels from that North American country.