All they want is America, all they have is Panama

This story follows the lives of some of the 299 non-Panamanian migrants deported from the U.S. to Panama under a controversial third-country agreement during Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Many had hoped to seek asylum in the U.S., but instead found themselves in a country they never chose — caught in a state of limbo, unable to return home and unsure of their future. My work accompanies this investigation into what it means to be displaced, unwanted, and forgotten at the edge of the American dream.

May 2025 for The Atlantic

Portrait of Serwarah (alias), 21, from Afghanistan, at Hogar Luisa, a Catholic Church reception center for refugees and migrants in Panama City. She was deported from the United States along with hundreds of others as part of the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.

A migrant woman stands by the door of a dormitory at Fe y Alegría, a center providing shelter and assistance to those deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
A migrant woman stands by the door of a dormitory at Fe y Alegría, a center providing shelter and assistance to those deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
A female migrant doing her laundry at Fe y Alegría, an International Movement of Comprehensive Popular Education and Social Promotion that has provided services for migrants since 2017. She was deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
A female migrant doing her laundry at Fe y Alegría, an International Movement of Comprehensive Popular Education and Social Promotion that has provided services for migrants since 2017. She was deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
A male migrant from Afghanistan stands with his back to the camera at Fe y Alegría, a center providing support for migrants since 2017. He was deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
A male migrant from Afghanistan stands with his back to the camera at Fe y Alegría, a center providing support for migrants since 2017. He was deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
Syed Saqlain Badshah (Pakistan, 27) gazes into the distance at Fe y Alegría, a center providing support for migrants since 2017. He was deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
Syed Saqlain Badshah (Pakistan, 27) gazes into the distance at Fe y Alegría, a center providing support for migrants since 2017. He was deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
Suraiya Hussaini, 25 Afghanistan, at Fe y Alegría, a center supporting displaced individuals since 2017. She was deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
Suraiya Hussaini, 25 Afghanistan, at Fe y Alegría, a center supporting displaced individuals since 2017. She was deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
A female migrant, who does not wish to be identified, at Fe y Alegría, a center supporting displaced individuals since 2017. She was deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
A female migrant, who does not wish to be identified, at Fe y Alegría, a center supporting displaced individuals since 2017. She was deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
A female migrant rests on a mattress at Fe y Alegría, an International Movement of Comprehensive Popular Education and Social Promotion that has provided services for migrants since 2017. She was deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
A female migrant rests on a mattress at Fe y Alegría, an International Movement of Comprehensive Popular Education and Social Promotion that has provided services for migrants since 2017. She was deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
Fe y Alegría, an International Movement of Comprehensive Popular Education and Social Promotion, has provided support for migrants since 2017. The center offers shelter and assistance to those deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
Fe y Alegría, an International Movement of Comprehensive Popular Education and Social Promotion, has provided support for migrants since 2017. The center offers shelter and assistance to those deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
Migrants rest on their mattresses and gather at Fe y Alegría, a center that has provided support for displaced individuals since 2017. All were deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
Migrants rest on their mattresses and gather at Fe y Alegría, a center that has provided support for displaced individuals since 2017. All were deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
Migrant women weaving each other's hair at Fe y Alegría, an International Movement of Comprehensive Popular Education and Social Promotion that has provided services for migrants since 2017. All were deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
Migrant women weaving each other's hair at Fe y Alegría, an International Movement of Comprehensive Popular Education and Social Promotion that has provided services for migrants since 2017. All were deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
Hogar Luisa, a Catholic Church reception center in Panama City, provides shelter for refugees and migrants, including those deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.
Hogar Luisa, a Catholic Church reception center in Panama City, provides shelter for refugees and migrants, including those deported from the United States under the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. March 26, 2025, Panama City, Panama.

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