Costa Rica Receives First Migrants Deported Under U.S. Deal
Costa Rica receives 25 deported migrants under a U.S. agreement, offering asylum, return or temporary status options.
Migrants arrive in Costa Rica under a bilateral deportation agreement with the United States. Photo: AP
April 12, 2026 Hour: 3:56 am
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Costa Rica grants asylum, return or temporary status options to migrants received under a bilateral deportation agreement.
Costa Rican authorities received on Saturday the first group of migrants deported from the United States under a recently signed migration cooperation agreement between the two countries.
The flight carried 25 individuals from Albania, Cameroon, China, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Kenya and Morocco, along with one Costa Rican national.
According to the General Directorate of Migration and Foreign Affairs, upon arrival the migrants were provided with initial assistance by the Professional Migration Police and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The support includes accommodation, food and humanitarian aid during the first seven days of their stay in the country.
To facilitate entry, Costa Rica waived visa requirements for citizens of Albania, Cameroon, China, India, Kenya and Morocco. In the case of Honduras, authorities also removed the requirement of a police background record as part of the agreement’s provisions.
The migration authority stated that those transferred may opt for assisted voluntary return, apply for refugee status, or request temporary migration regularization on humanitarian grounds. The Costa Rican government emphasized that it retains the authority to accept or reject each case independently, while the United States has committed to providing the financial support necessary for the operation.
The arrangement follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed on March 23 between President Rodrigo Chaves and the U.S. administration, enabling the transfer of foreign nationals who are not U.S. citizens. Costa Rican authorities stated that the agreement includes guarantees for the protection of human rights, including safeguards against returning individuals to countries where they may face danger or persecution.
Text Reads: Migrant arrests in the United States increased elevenfold during the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, prompting a fivefold increase in deportations.
This is not the first such operation. In 2025, Costa Rica received two similar flights: one on February 20 carrying 135 migrants from countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and Vietnam, and another on February 28 with 65 individuals, including 16 minors, from Nepal, India and Congo, among others. In those cases, voluntary repatriations of families to their countries of origin were also carried out.
The arrival of this group takes place amid tightened migration policies in the United States following Donald Trump’s return to the presidency, a strategy that has increased deportations and enforcement operations and extended removals to third countries through bilateral agreements. Actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have faced criticism and denunciations over reported persecution and mistreatment of migrants.
Author: MK
Source: EFE
