Pakistanis among 119 deportees who reach Panama aboard US plane

PANAMA CITY: Panama said on Thursday it had received a first US military plane transporting 119 deportees of various nationalities, who will now be repatriated to their own countries. President Jose Raul Mulino, who has offered his country as a stopover for migrants expelled from the United States by the Donald Trump administration, said the plane arrived on Wednesday with “people of the most diverse nationalities,” many from Asia. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Panama two weeks ago, meeting Mulino in the midst of a dispute over ownership of the Panama Canal, which Trump had vowed the United States would be “taking back.” After the visit, Rubio voiced optimism Panama would address US concerns, including over alleged Chinese influence on the operation of the critical US-built waterway.

“We hope to get them out of there as soon as possible,” said Mulino, as he underlined the “contribution that Panama is making on the migration issue.” The deportees included citizens of China, Pakistan and other Asian countries, said the president, adding more planes are expected from the United States soon.