Central Asian Migrants In Group Being Deported by U.S. to Costa Rica
A group of 200 migrants from Central Asia and India is scheduled to be flown from the United States to Costa Rica this week as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
Costa Rica’s presidency said in a statement that it was collaborating with the United States on the repatriation of migrants who were illegally in the U.S. and that the “first group” of 200 would be transferred from Juan Santamaria International Airport, near the capital of San José, to a temporary facility for migrants in the Costa Rican area of Corredores. The area is in the south of the country, near the border with Panama.
The Costa Rican statement, which was issued on Monday, had said the U.S.-funded commercial flight was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. However, several Costa Rican and international news reports said the flight was delayed until Thursday.
The statement did not identify the nationalities of the migrants from Central Asia, though Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chavez subsequently said they were from countries including Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and India. The operation is being supervised by the International Organization for Migration, a Geneva-based United Nations agency that will take care of the migrants while they are in transit, according to the Costa Rican government.
In a similar arrangement, Uzbek citizens are among a separate group of migrants from multiple countries who were recently flown from the United States to Panama prior to repatriation to their countries of origin. Panama has come under intense pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened to seize the Panama Canal. It is difficult for the United States to repatriate migrants to some countries, leading Washington to look for third countries as a transit point.
The Costa Rica flight received some attention in Uzbek media.
Costa Rica’s human rights watchdog, La Defensoría de los Habitantes, said on Wednesday that it didn’t know details of the negotiation and agreement between the United States and the Costa Rican government for the repatriation of migrants, nor whether there are children, elderly people, disabled people or families in the group arriving in the Central American country.
The Costan Rican government must guarantee their human rights, and provide medical checkups and adequate lodging space while they are in the country, according to the watchdog. It said Costa Rica, as a signatory to the U.N. convention against torture, must also confirm that none of the migrants will be subjected to “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment” once they return to their countries of origin.
The watchdog said it would remain vigilant, noting that it’s unclear whether the migrants will be safe from threats to their lives and freedom once forced to go back to their countries.
Last month, as the Trump administration began to implement deportation plans, Kyrgyzstan warned its citizens in the United States to follow immigration law and always carry relevant documents with them. Chicago, a focus of some federal raids, has a growing Kyrgyz population.
