Photos: DHS Chief Kristi Noem Watches U.S.-Bound Illegal Aliens Get Deported from Panama

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem observed a deportation flight of illegal aliens in Panama who sought to make it to the United States-Mexico border to cross illegally.

Noem traveled to Panama City, Panama, on Tuesday to tout the Trump administration’s extension of an agreement between the U.S. and the Central American country that seeks to deport illegal aliens from Panama before they are ever able to make it to the U.S.

Some of the illegal aliens deported on the flight had been convicted of sex crimes, robbery, and drug trafficking.

“Under this understanding, 2,044 migrants without legal grounds to remain in Panama were deported to 23 countries between August 2024 and June 2025,” a DHS press release states.

In particular, Noem spotlighted that deportation flights out of Panama are far less costly than deportation flights out of the U.S., saving American taxpayers about half the cost per deportation.

The Trump administration’s major crackdown on illegal immigration has helped effectively shut down the Darien Gap in Panama, considered one of the most dangerous regions for U.S.-bound illegal aliens to pass through before getting to the southern border.

As of February, illegal immigration through the Darien Gap had plummeted 99 percent compared to the same time the year prior when President Joe Biden was in office.

Specifically, just 408 U.S.-bound illegal aliens passed through the Darien Gap in February, while more than 37,000 U.S.-bound illegal aliens had passed through in February 2024.

Department of Homeland Security

Department of Homeland Security

Department of Homeland Security

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter here.