10/07/2026
On our last trip to Panama, we met Mateo's father, who tearfully told us about his separation from his teenage son, and eventual deportation. They had deportation orders to Venezuela, their home country, but neither had lived there in many years.
The two were detained separately for months, and deported, separately, to different countries. As Mateo made the dangerous journey from Mexico to Panama, his father anxiously waited and hoped for their reunion.
Third-country deportations are becoming more and more prevalent, and often people with no ties end up in Tapachula, Mexico. Described as a "pressure cooker" by our partners on the ground there, people are being dropped there with little-to-no resources or connections. People sleep on the streets, drug use is rampant, cartel and gang violence is common.
Imagine being 19 years old and navigating this situation.
Take a couple of minutes to learn what Mateo's life has been like, between borders.
*name changed to protect identity
