Q COSTARICA — Costa Rica’s immigration service, the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), announced on Tuesday the approval of a special procedure for the temporary immigration normalization, for humanitarian reasons, of 25 foreigners deported from the United States who are currently housed at the Temporary Care Center for Migrants (Catem), located in the canton of Corredores, in the southern zone.
According to resolution D.JUR-0222-07-2025-JM, the measure will allow these individuals to legally remain in Costa Rica for an initial period of six months, extendable for equal periods if the immigration authority so determines.
During this time, they may freely travel throughout the country, work as self-employed individuals or employees, and remain at a care center or another facility authorized by Immigration, provided the stipulated conditions are met.
These 25 people entered the country in February as part of a diplomatic agreement between Costa Rica and the United States. Initially, 200 people deported from the United States were transferred to Catem.
Of this group, the majority have already left Costa Rica through the Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) program of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), have sought refugee status, or have left the country under a previously granted special modality.
Currently, those remaining in Catem have not requested refugee status or the voluntary return option.
Beneficiaries of this new provision must carry the resolution certifying their immigration status and present it to authorities when requested. Furthermore, the authorization will be automatically revoked if the person commits crimes in Costa Rican territory, poses a threat to public safety, or leaves the country for any reason.
The resolution establishes requirements to guarantee the security and legality of the process, such as criminal record checks using national and international systems, biometric verification, and the integration of all documentation into individual files.
The DGME warned that if a criminal record or links to organized crime networks are detected, the permit will be revoked and immigration legislation will be applied to the person’s departure from the country.
The document, signed by the Immigration Director, Omer Badilla Toledo, emphasized that this is an exceptional and temporary measure adopted to respond to the humanitarian situation of these individuals, who cannot be returned to their countries of origin and have not expressed any intention to leave the country by other means.