Panama launches 30‑day transit regime for Spanish‑speaking migrants amid regional repatriation deals

Panama's government approved a special 30‑day transit regime for Spanish‑speaking migrants undergoing repatriation. The executive decree limits the program to adult, non‑pregnant migrants without criminal records, who must leave Panama after the period and cannot convert the stay into refugee or asylum status. Participants will be housed in designated facilities where basic food, medical care and legal assistance are provided, and they are allowed freedom of movement within specified zones but are not placed under detention.

The measure follows Panama's recent role as a "bridge" for United States deportations, including the temporary housing of nearly 300 extracontinental migrants earlier this year. The regime excludes pregnant women and minors and applies only to nationals of Spanish‑speaking American countries with which Panama has consular relations.

In the Dominican Republic, former migration director José Ricardo Taveras criticized a new U.S.–Dominican agreement that would temporarily host migrants in deportation, warning it could turn the country into a "migratory dump" and an extraterritorial retention center. Both developments highlight the growing regional pressure to manage U.S. deportation flows and the concerns of host nations over long‑term burden sharing.