Óscar Arias, the former President of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has had his visa to enter the United States revoked. This harmful decision has raised profound concerns about its motivations. It is all the more remarkable in light of Arias’s sharp condemnation of U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration.
Arias, now 84 years old, has the distinction of being elected president of Costa Rica twice. He served from 1986 to 1990, and then again from 2006 to 2010. In 1987, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. His instrumental role in negotiating peace and stability after the harrowing conflicts of the 1980s in Central America paved the way for this monumental accomplishment. Without warning, he got an email saying that his visa was suddenly revoked. He felt completely confused about why this decision was reached.
Arias has been telling anyone who would listen in recent months that he was not satisfied with Trump’s policies. He controversially compared Trump to “a Roman emperor,” suggesting that the U.S. president imposes his will on other nations without regard for their sovereignty. He lambasted Trump’s administration for their handling of foreign leaders. In particular, he took aim at Trump and Vice President JD Vance for humiliating and threatening Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a White House meeting earlier this year.
During a press conference addressing the visa issue, Arias stated, “I don’t know if the revoking of my visa is the product of some sort of retaliation, because I say what I think (and) write what I say.” He accepted the United States’ prerogative to decide those things. One thing that he was very clear on was that he doesn’t plan to be intimidated into silence by what he views as political retribution.
“If someone wants to use a reprisal to silence me, well obviously they’re not going to silence me,” – Óscar Arias
The former president’s remarks highlight a growing concern among public figures regarding their freedoms of speech and expression in the current political climate. The consequences of such actions could be felt well beyond Arias himself, and deeply traumatize another U.S. administration’s critics.
