Migrants Trapped in Panama's Locked Decapolis Hotel Seek Urgent Help

Over 300 migrants, deported to Panama from the U.S., find themselves confined in the Decapolis Hotel without the ability to seek legal representation or escape. As they grapple with fear and uncertainty, several have resorted to desperate measures to communicate their plight.

In Panama City, the towering Decapolis Hotel has become a makeshift prison for around 300 migrants, recently deported by the United States. Trapped in their rooms, these individuals, hailing from various countries, have been denied the freedom to leave the premises or meet with legal representatives.

Among those confined were two women from Cameroon holding a napkin that read “HELP US,” and families from Iran, including converts to Christianity living under the constant threat of persecution. Their plight resonates through muffled voices and gestures across thick glass walls separating them from the outside world, as nightfall sees them huddling together for prayer.

Some detainees clung to the hope of normalcy, lighting televisions to drown out the overwhelming fear, while many children, illuminated only by the flickering screens, remained hidden from the prying eyes of outsiders. Anxiety is palpable, manifesting in frantic hand signals and hastily scribbled cries for help.

Amid their desperation, one Iranian migrant, Artemis Ghasemzadeh, boldly addressed her need for assistance, writing “Help” on the window with lipstick. Journalists on the ground attempted to establish communication by sharing contact numbers through notebooks held at a distance, trying to break through the walls of silence that shroud their circumstances.

Most of the detainees had originally sought refuge in the U.S. after fleeing perilous situations back home in countries like Afghanistan and China. Their hopes were dashed upon being sent back to Panama—where they remain trapped, as neither their home nations nor accessible asylum pathways provide them with an exit.