Saturday April 5, 2025
Qamar Abdi, left, and Filsan Ali, migrants from Somalia, pose for a portrait at the hotel where they are staying in Panama City, Monday, March 10, 2025, after being deported from the United States, detained for weeks in a Panamanian immigration camp, and released on a temporary humanitarian visa allowing a 30‑day stay. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Mogadishu (HOL) — The Somali government is working to verify the status of a group of its citizens reportedly stranded in Panama after being deported from the United States as questions grow over their fate and the challenges of providing diplomatic support in a distant land.
The group, among dozens of migrants deported from the U.S. in recent weeks, is being held in a hotel in Panama while local authorities seek to return them to their countries of origin. Somali officials acknowledge they’ve received word of the deportees but admit that details remain sparse.
“We know Somali nationals deported from the United States are currently in Panama,” said Abdirahman Nur Mohamed Diinaari, a senior advisor with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the BBC Somali Service. “But we don’t yet have the exact number. Their information has been passed to us, and we’re trying to confirm.”
The Somali government’s limited global diplomatic reach has made the situation even more complex. With no embassy in Panama, officials have directed the stranded group to reach out to Somalia’s embassy in Havana, Cuba — nearly 1,500 kilometres away, across the Caribbean Sea.
“I hope those individuals can get in touch with our embassy in Cuba,” Diinaari said. “The ambassador is ready to assist, whether with humanitarian support or arrangements to return home.”
Yet the logistics are daunting. With no direct connection between the two countries and the deportees confined in Panama, it remains unclear how or even if they can safely access consular support.
Diinaari added that the Somali embassies in Washington, D.C., and New York are also in contact with U.S. officials to coordinate the safe return of the deported individuals.
The latest unfolding situation reflects the broader legacy of U.S. immigration policy under former President Donald Trump. His administration intensified efforts to deport undocumented immigrants — a central promise of his campaign — affecting communities from Latin America to East Africa. Many deportees were removed with little notice, often landing in third countries with few resources or legal protections.
For Somalis deported across borders, the journey doesn’t end with expulsion — it begins a new phase of limbo, caught between nations, consulates, and political agendas. Their predicament also highlights the fragile capacity of Somalia’s diplomatic corps, which is still rebuilding after decades of conflict.
Somalia restored formal diplomatic ties with Cuba in 2023 after a 46-year hiatus, part of a broader push to reestablish global partnerships. However, for Somalis stuck in Panama, such diplomatic milestones offer little immediate relief.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it will continue working to locate the stranded nationals and assess what assistance can be offered. In the meantime, the deportees wait — far from home, out of sight, and increasingly in need of answers.
