Q COSTARICA — Following the announcement of new U.S. visa revocations for several high-ranking officials and public figures in the country, Costa Rica President Rodrigo Chaves asserted that these decisions are not arbitrary, but rather respond to clear criteria related to security, drug trafficking, and the defense of democracy.
Chaves made it clear that these are not in any way capricious decisions, without mentioning Rodrigo Arias, President of the Legislative Assembly, who was notified this week of the loss of his visa to the United States.
“People need to understand that the United States has very clear rules related to international crime, drug trafficking, and attacks against democracy. This is not a decision made by a local embassy; that comes from the top,” Chaves stated, alluding to the internal mechanisms of the U.S. government.
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For Chaves, the lack of formal explanation from the U.S. government does not mean there is no reason.
“No one makes a decision there without having discussed it at the highest levels. Anyone who says it was the embassy here, no, sir,” he emphasized, noting that these measures are being replicated in other Latin American countries.
President Chaves invited those affected to seek their own answers: “Go ask Arias, Vanessa Castro, the vice president of the Legislative Assembly, the legislators, the ladies who are calling about something related to Huawei, the magistrates, why did they take away your visas? Don’t ask me.”
Long List
The list of Costa Ricans who have lost their entry permits to the United States continues to grow, with no specific explanations from the U.S. embassy in San José or the U.S. State Department.
Among the names that stand out are Paul Rueda, a magistrate of the Constitutional Court; Johana Obando and Cynthia Córdoba, independent legislators; Francisco Nicolás, a PLN legislator; Vanessa Castro, a PUSC legislator; Sofía Machuca, an ICE auditor; and the Arias brothers (two-time former President of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize winner Óscar, who had his U.S. Visa revoked in April and Rodrigo, President of the Legislative Assembly, just last week).
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Although the U.S. government has remained officially silent, former Senator Marco Rubio previously warned that action would be taken against Costa Rican officials who attempted to undermine cybersecurity or cooperate with governments considered enemies by Washington, such as China.
Chaves made it clear that he would not elaborate on the matter, but insisted that “this is serious” and that those being sanctioned may have engaged in acts that violate principles the United States takes very seriously: democracy, security, and the fight against organized crime.
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