US deports Uzbek citizens to Panama

The United States has begun deporting citizens of several Asian countries to Panama in an effort to speed up deportations and avoid the resulting backlog. According to The New York Times, they are mostly immigrants whose countries are unwilling to accept them.

The first plane to Panama took off from California, the source said. The migrants include citizens of China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. The deportations to Panama follow Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to Panama last week and Trump's threats to take over the canal, the publication writes.

Ahror Burkhanov, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, expressed his reaction to this situation:

"We are working with the United States on this issue, we are in close contact to ensure the deportation is carried out properly. We do not know for sure if there are any of our citizens in Panama right now, or how many. If there are, we will certainly provide full assistance in returning them," he said.