Immigration Drama: Mostly Asian Migrants Deported from the US Make a Sudden Arrival in Costa Rica!
SAN JOSE, — Costa Rica’s government received its first group of mostly Asian migrants deported from the United States on Thursday, as part of an agreement with Washington to temporarily house up to 200 deportees from other countries.
The deportations are part of US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal migration, which includes an increasing number of flights to countries that cooperate with him on multinational repatriation efforts.
The most recent group of expelled migrants was flown from San Diego to Costa Rica’s capital, San Jose, and then transported by bus to a migrant shelter near the Panama border.
Deputy Security Minister Omer Badilla told reporters at the San Jose airport that the migrants will be allowed to stay in Costa Rica for one month while officials coordinate their voluntary return to their home countries.
“Most of them want to return to their countries,” Badilla said, adding that those who declined would have their cases handled individually.
The group consisted of family units from Uzbekistan, China, Armenia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Russia, Georgia, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, and Ghana.
President Rodrigo Chaves announced on Wednesday that up to 200 migrants from other countries deported by the United States will be sent to Costa Rica as part of the most recent deal, citing the threat of US tariffs on Costa Rican goods.
Also on Thursday, US authorities ordered that 177 Venezuelan migrants be flown from Guantanamo Bay to Honduras. They will eventually be sent to Venezuela.
Meanwhile, the Panamanian government announced that three of the migrants it had received from the United States from other countries had requested asylum and could eventually be accepted by other countries, such as Canada.
