Q COSTARICA — Costa Rica received on Thursday the latest group of 25 deported foreigners from the United States as part of the existing bilateral third-country agreement signed between the two nations in March 2026.
The group consists of 12 women and 13 men, according to immigration authorities.
Among those received are 11 Colombian citizens, five Brazilians, four Vietnamese, two Bolivians, two Chinese, and one Azerbaijani.
Authorities indicated that all were subjected to checks in national and international systems before entering the country.
The purpose of these checks is to guarantee national security and confirm the identity of each of the individuals transferred.
The bilateral agreeemnt
Under this agreement, Costa Rica has committed to accepting up to 25 deportees per week. This includes both returning Costa Rican nationals and third-country nationals from various regions, including Asia, Africa, and Latin America, who have no prior personal or geographical connection to Costa Rica.
In addition to Costa Ricans, deportees arriving in 2026 have included citizens from China, India, Albania, Cameroon, Morocco, Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil, Kenya, and Russia, among others. The program is financially supported by the United States, which channels funding through the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to cover operational expenses.
Upon landing at San José international airport (SJO), migrants are processed by immigration officials and are provided temporary housing and food for up to seven days. During or immediately after this period, migrants are given three distinct options:
- Assisted Voluntary Return: Enrolling in a program to be safely repatriated back to their actual home countries.
- Asylum/Refugee Status: Requesting formal protection in Costa Rica if they can demonstrate that their lives are in danger in their native countries.Temporary Humanitarian Status:
- Applying for a temporary regularized migration status that allows them to live and move freely within Costa Rica for up to a year.
The current 2026 framework has adjusted to allow migrants full freedom of movement upon arrival to avoid repeating those legal issues, following the highly controversial 2025 pilot operation in which roughly 200 migrants were deported from the U.S. to Costa Rica.