Rubio views a deportation flight in Panama as Trump prioritizes an immigration crackdown
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, Frank Alexis Abrego, Panama's Minister of Public Security, center, and Panama's Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha, watch as people board a repatriation flight bound for Colombia at Albrook Airport in Panama City on Monday. Credit: AP/Mark Schiefelbein
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio viewed a deportation flight carrying 43 migrants before it took off from Panama on Monday as President Donald Trump’s administration prioritizes stopping people from making the journey to the United States.
On his second and final day in Panama City on a five-nation trip to Central America, Rubio turned his focus from the Panama Canal and Chinese influence to the issue the Republican president has championed most: immigration.
The flight was carrying 32 men and 11 women back to Colombia after they had crossed the Darien Gap and were stopped in Panama. Some of the migrants filed into the plane before Rubio arrived. He viewed the plane and then left the tarmac to give comments in a nearby building. It's unusual for a secretary of state to personally witness such a law enforcement operation, especially in front of cameras.
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