Nearly one month since his inauguration, United States President Donald Trump is making shockwaves yet again, this time revolving around the implementation of his plans surrounding illegal immigrants.
While deportation was always on the books and a likely outcome, the destination of quite a few of these deportees may come as a surprise to many: Panama.
Located in Central America, Panama is centered around what is now known as the “Isthmus of Panama”, or the small piece of land that connects North America to South America. It is also, as the name might suggest, home to the Panama Canal, a vital route for international trade and commerce.
And as of last week, Panama is also the destination for hundreds of non-Panamanian illegal immigrants from Africa and Asia as the U.S. attempts to return these migrants to their home countries. Almost 300 immigrants are currently being temporarily held in a Panamanian hotel with countries of origin including China, India, Nepal, Iran, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, among others.
What exactly, then, is the agreement that the U.S. has developed with Panama surrounding the deportation of these immigrants?
To begin, it’s important to understand that this isn’t Panama’s first rodeo – the Central American nation has already been involved in the deportation of several planes full of immigrants from America for almost a year now under the guidance of Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino.
In short, the deal, a product of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s first international trip in his new official capacity, is simple – Panama will serve as a layover for deportees as they wait to be returned to their country of origin, while the U.S. funds the entire endeavor.
For the U.S, the benefits are clear – illegal immigrants are no longer being housed in America at the expense of law-abiding American taxpayers and they are one step closer to being returned home.
Which begs the question, how does Panama benefit? Or rather, what do they hope to not lose in return for their compliance?
According to CBS, the answer is simple: the Panama Canal.
The Panama Canal has long been a highly coveted transportation corridor.
While Panama itself connects North America to South America, the Canal connects the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. And in the world of our ancestors, where trade routes – specifically easy access to Asian markets – were extremely powerful tools, the Panama Canal presented the perfect solution to the very issue that Columbus had hoped to solve 600 years ago in his discovery of America: a way for European empires to get to those Asian markets without having to sail around the Horn of Africa and other conflicting interests (much of Africa was controlled by European powers in the 1800s, as well as parts of the Middle East and India).
In the early 1900s, then-President Theodore Roosevelt prioritized the creation of the trade route, at the time located in Colombian territory, and in 1903, after Panama separated from Colombia in a US-backed revolt, Panama and the U.S. cemented a treaty that let the U.S. build the waterway in a strip of land extending 10 miles for financial compensation.
Despite an original era of peace, conflicts soon broke out between Panama and the U.S, regarding various issues surrounding the Canal, including which nation controlled the passage and the flags flown in the region.
After violence broke out in January of 1964 with several anti-American riots, Panama and America went back to the negotiating table, leading to the passage of two treaties under the administration of President Jimmy Carter, establishing joint U.S.-Panama control of the waterway through 1999, after which Panama would assume complete control.
While there has been contention over the Canal in the years since Panama took over, it has never boiled over like it did in the 60s.
But Trump’s presidency might hold the potential to push those contentions closer and closer to the boiling point.
Both throughout his campaign and into his current presidency, Trump has made numerous remarks surrounding the regaining of U.S. control over the prized trade route. Specifically, Trump has challenged the high fees levied by Panamanian authorities surrounding the usage of the canal, as well as China’s purported efforts to influence and control both Panama and the area surrounding and including the Canal, expressing his interest in taking control of the Panama Canal once more.
While Panamanian officials and leaders have directly challenged some of Trump’s claims surrounding the Canal and flat-out rejected rumors surrounding the U.S. regaining control of the waterway, the potential for conflict over this trade route remains, potentially influencing Panama’s decision to serve as a stopover for immigrants on their way back to their countries of origin.
Whatever may be the case surrounding Panama’s real motivations for entering this deal with the U.S., one thing is for certain – the Trump administration will certainly leave a profound effect on our southern neighbors these next four years. Ranging from the (temporarily suspended) tariffs Trump levied on Mexico a few weeks ago to his current actions surrounding Panama, Central America is about to get a lot more time in the limelight on the global stage.
