Costa Rica Agrees to Take 25 Deportees A Week From the U.S.

Priscilla Corrales/Presidencia de la República de Costa Rica, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

By Brooke Bihl

Costa Rica announces it will accept 25 migrants deported from the United States per week as part of an agreement to assist with the Trump administration’s policy of deporting immigrants to “third countries.” The country is now among several states across Africa and the Americas that have signed agreements with the U.S. to take deported migrants, including South Sudan, Honduras, Rwanda, Guyana, and several Caribbean islands. President Rodrigo Chaves of Costa Rica and Kristi Noem signed the pact on Monday, with Noem visiting the country as a special envoy for the Shield of Americas coalition against drug trafficking, following her removal as U.S. homeland secretary. “We are very proud to have partners like President [Rodrigo Chaves] and Costa Rica, who are working to ensure that people who are in our country illegally have the opportunity to return to their countries of origin,” Noem stated on Monday.

President Chaves describes the pact as a “non-binding migration agreement” that allows the U.S. to transfer non-U.S. nationals to the Central American country, where they would receive temporary legal status while their cases are handled under local immigration law. The agreement is completely voluntary and gives Costa Rica the right to accept or reject deportees while avoiding returning people to countries where they might face the risk of persecution. Under the agreement, the U.S. government and a UN agency, the International Organization for Migration, are providing financial support by covering the costs of deportees’ housing and meals.

Critics of the agreement point to the pact as yet another step in the Costa Rican government’s history of making flattering concessions to the Trump Administration. Laura Fernandez, Costa Rica’s president-elect, who will succeed Chavez in May, mirrors the current president’s sentiments, stating that the deal was a gesture of reciprocity toward the Trump administration. Last year, the country faced controversy for its treatment of 200 deportees it received from the U.S., who came from countries such as Russia, China, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. The deportees cited poor conditions, human rights abuses, and legal uncertainty, which eventually prompted the country’s supreme court to order their release. During Monday’s meeting, the Costa Rican government made assurances that the new round of deportees would be held in better conditions and would work with the U.S. to return migrants to their home countries. The deal continues to spark ongoing questions and concerns across Costa Rica, citing the country’s unreadiness for the influx of deportees. Human rights organizations have also raised a red flag, stating there are no conditions in place to ensure the proper rights of incoming migrants.