Earlier this month, after meeting with President Nayib Bukele, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that El Salvador had offered to help the United States with its plans to deport dangerous illegal migrants by housing them in the country's jails, no matter their country of citizenship. Last week, President José Raúl Mulino of Panama announced that his country was accepting illegal migrants — originally from places like China, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan — from the U.S. and housing them until they could be returned to their home countries.
On Monday, Costa Rica announced that it would also play a role in U.S. deportation plans. "The Government of Costa Rica agreed to collaborate with the United States in the repatriation of 200 illegal immigrants to their country," President Rodrigo Chaves Robles' office said in a statement, adding that "Costa Rica will continue to be a world leader in humanitarian issues."
🇺🇸🇨🇷 | Costa Rica Agrees to Accept Third-Country Migrants Deported by the U.S.
— Bienvenido (@bienvenido_us) February 18, 2025
In another immigration win secured by the Trump administration, Costa Rica has agreed to accept deported third-country migrants as part of the administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
The… pic.twitter.com/BbZDCsw1R1
The statement also suggested that Costa Rica would "serve as a bridge" for the migrants as the U.S. works to return them to their home countries. The U.S. is fully funding the process, and it will be overseen by the International Organization for Migration, an agency of the United Nations that will also care for the migrants before they're returned to their home countries.
The flight is expected to arrive in the Central American nation on Wednesday. It will land at Juan Santamaria International Airport, which is just outside San Jose, the nation's capital, in the Alajuela Province. Upon arrival, they'll be transported to Corredores, a canton in the country's Puntarenas Province, near the Panamanian border, where they will stay in a migrant shelter. The New York Times reports that the flight will include about 200 people, mostly from Indian and Central Asia.
Rubio met with Chaves earlier this month during his trip to Latin America. The Costa Rican president said the following during their joint press appearance:
On a different note, it is a great honor, on a personal level, Mr. Secretary, to receive this visit from such a high-level official from our main ally, the United States of America, Mr. Marco Rubio. I believe the relationship between both countries is strong, where we agree on what we want for our respective people. We want prosperity. We want peace. We want law and order. We want our states and our societies to be prosperous, where people have the right to be happy and pursue their own happiness. And that is why we have had this historic relationship with the United States.
During this visit, we were able to outline our ongoing cooperation roadmap with this new administration. And I believe that we reached significant agreements around illegal immigration. We understand that Costa Rica is one of the most prosperous countries in Latin America, and it is a destination for migration. We also understand that we need to strengthen our fight against international organized crime, which is something that Mr. Secretary has very generously offered to continue helping with, and help us with the waivers to – that freeze aid in that area for our country.
Personally, I think it's encouraging to see these Latin American countries working with us to enforce immigration laws, and I hope we see more of it. As I've written many times in the past, when our borders are open, it doesn't just impact us — it impacts the law-abiding citizens of these countries too. But the media doesn't always like to report on that. They just like to show you a select few people crying at the Mexican border and tell you what a terrible person you are for wanting stronger national security.
As someone who has spent a lot of time in Costa Rica in recent years, I've seen it and heard about it firsthand. South American gang members and other dangerous criminals often wreak havoc on these nations while trying to get to the U.S. And I've been told it was worse than ever under Joe Biden. We're not the only country glad to see him gone.
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