And through the program, Costa Rica has bolstered its ties with the United States. The country recently signed a “third-country” deportation agreement as part of President Donald Trump’s mass-deportation initiative. Under this agreement, migrants deported from the United States will be accepted by Costa Rica up to a maximum of 25 per week. This action is a piece of a larger strategy. A number of other countries, mostly in Africa and the Americas, have signed similar accords with the US.
The pact allows the United States to send certain migrants to Costa Rica. Once there, the migrants will then be processed according to the local migration laws. Costa Rica’s government has been quick to claim victory in this deal. They expressly retain the authority to agree to transfers of migrants and to decline offers of migrant movement. Officials from Costa Rica referred to the pact as a “non-binding migration agreement,” indicating a level of flexibility in its implementation.
Kristi Noem, the US special envoy, visited Costa Rica to sign the agreement and oversee the “Shield of the Americas” initiative. She expressed appreciation for Costa Rica’s cooperation in this effort, stating, “We are very proud to have partners like President [Rodrigo Chaves] and Costa Rica, who are working to ensure that people who are in our country illegally have the opportunity to return to their countries of origin.”
Costa Rica becomes the third country in Central America or the Caribbean to sign a deportation agreement with the US, following Jamaica and Honduras. At least seven African countries—most recently including South Sudan and Rwanda—have signed agreements that allow for the deportation of third-country nationals. Further, a number of Caribbean islands have participated in this pledge. So far, the US government has spent at least $40 million deporting fewer than 300 migrants. These people have been removed to countries that are not their own.
In this climate, an understandable fear of deportees upon returning to their countries is prevalent. Some have been granted temporary permits to stay in Costa Rica, while others have received legal protection from US judges that prevents their return to dangerous situations back home. The Costa Rican government will work with the US to ensure migrants can return home safely. They’re working with the United Nations International Organization for Migration to come up with housing for all those being deported.
Mario Zamora Cordero, a Costa Rican official involved in the agreement, stated, “This will ensure they remain in the best possible conditions while in Costa Rica and guarantee their safe return to their countries of origin.”
This draconian approach has been widely condemned by human rights experts. At the same time, they caution that these “third-country” transfers will expose already vulnerable populations to greater dangers. Critics say that sending people back to places where they will be harmed does not make their suffering worse.
Earlier this week, Panama was criticized over its treatment of deportees. When advocacy organizations reported that many of these hundreds were being incarcerated in remote facilities, the public was justifiably enraged. These human rights abuses have drawn international attention to the plight of individuals who find themselves in similar circumstances throughout Central America.
