Cameroonian woman expelled to Panama says she was handcuffed for crying and asking for her phone
Feb 2025·Location: San Diego, CA
Country of origin: Cameroon
Esther, a 25-year-old woman from Cameroon, was expelled from the U.S. to Panama on a military plane. At the Decapolis Hotel in Panama City where the third-country nationals were confined, she and others were not allowed to speak to their families or lawyers. She told Human Rights Watch she saw another woman handcuffed for crying and asking for her phone.
Sources
More incidents in California
- Irvine special education teacher detained at LAX, transferred to Adelanto ICE facilityOct 6, 2026 · Los Angeles, CA
- Former DACA recipient dies of sepsis after Adelanto ICE staff ignored infection, family suesOct 3, 2026 · Adelanto, CA
- Senator tours SFO airport holding room, cites prolonged ICE detentionsOct 1, 2026 · San Francisco, CA
- Mexican man captured by drone-tracking agents in Buena Park fraud sweepOct 1, 2026 · Buena Park, CA
- Irish man detained at airport deported to UK before bond hearingSep 30, 2026 · San Jose, CA
- Ghanaian respiratory therapist chained and detained at SFO gate over visa overstaySep 30, 2026 · San Francisco, CA