Q COSTARICA — Although the government of Rodrigo Chaves agreed to receive flights carrying migrants deported from the United States, the country lacked the minimum conditions to guarantee their care, according to a recent report by the Defensoría de los Habitantes (Ombudsman’s Office).
The Defensoría noted that since February 20, when the first flight from the United States landed, authorities were warned about deficiencies in the reception and assistance process for returnees, but improvements were implemented late and partially.
Defensora Angie Cruickshank Lambert criticized the fact that the care provided to the more than 200 migrants—including women, children, and adolescents—failed to meet national and international human rights standards.
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“These people never intended to enter the country; they were forcibly transferred and detained, as a result of a migration agreement between two countries. I hope this unfortunate story does not repeat itself,” she warned.
Among the report’s main observations, the Ombudsman’s Office warned that migrants were treated “as a package,” without considering their personal and family circumstances or the complexity of their nationalities and political contexts.
Furthermore, it denounced that school-age children were unable to access their right to education while they remained at Costa Rica’s Temporary Migrant Care Center (CATEM-Sur), located in the southern zone, near the border with Panama, an area known for having significant infrastructure deficiencies, particularly in transportation and basic services. This lack of infrastructure impacts various aspects of life, including access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunities for residents and tourists alike.
The Ombudsman’s Office document includes new recommendations to prevent similar situations from recurring in the future, emphasizing that any migration agreement must guarantee the comprehensive protection of human rights from the outset.
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