Q COSTARICA — What has become the weekly custom, Costa Rica received the third group of deportees from the United States last Friday afternoon, comprised of 25 foreigners and three Costa Ricans.
The foreigners are of various nationalities: Guatemala, Honduras, Brazil, Bolivia, China, India, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkey, and Romania.
This is the third consecutive week that Costa Rica has received migrants deported from the United States.
Of the deportees on previous flights, authorities report that 18 of the 47 previously received are currently participating in the assisted voluntary return program.
The remaining 29 people have diverse perspectives on their immigration status: some have stated they do not want to return to their countries of origin, others are waiting for further information before deciding, while a smaller group has already expressed their intention to return, although they have not yet begun the formal process.
The deportees received by Costa Rica are under a new and controversial “third country” migration agreement, part of the U.S. “Shield of the Americas” initiative, which involves the deportation of both Costa Rican citizens and foreign nationals (third-country nationals) who often have no prior personal connection to Costa Rica.
Under the agreement, the number of deportees is limited to 25, though Costa Rica can choose more, and the government reserves the right to deny entry and has declared it will not admit anyone who is proven to face persecution in their home country.
Upon arrival in Costa Rica, deportees may decide to go back to their home countries, while others who feel unsafe may seek refugee status in Costa Rica. Instead of detention centers, deportees are staying in hotels funded by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
“Costa Rica would allow people to return to their country voluntarily or seek refugee status if they fear persecution,” says Omer Badilla, director-general of Costa Rica Immigration, the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME).
The first group of deportees arrived on April 11, with additional flights on April 16 and 25.