Costa Rica welcomed a second group of migrants expelled from the United States on Friday as part of an agreement to support the Trump administration’s policy of expelling immigrants to “third countries.”
Under a bilateral agreement signed in March by Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves and U.S. Special Envoy Kristi Noem, Costa Rica has agreed to welcome up to 25 third-country nationals expelled from the United States each week.
The first group of 25 expellees arrived on Saturday at the Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José, where they were taken care of by Costa Rican migration police in coordination with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
A second group of expellees from the United States originating from third countries arrived in Costa Rica on Friday. This group of thirty individuals includes eight Costa Ricans, eight Brazilians, three Romanians, two Chinese nationals, three Uzbeks, two Azerbaijanis, one Irish, one Indian, one Vietnamese, and one Belarusian.
Similar to the group that arrived on Saturday, these individuals will be offered the opportunity to participate in the Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) program managed by the IOM to return to their home countries, or apply for a residence permit in Costa Rica under humanitarian categories through standard procedures.
This Central American country is among a growing number of African and American countries that have signed controversial, often secret agreements with the United States to accept expellees from other countries, as President Donald Trump pressures governments to assist in advancing his agenda.
In many cases, migrants who previously hoped to seek asylum in the United States find themselves in a legal “black hole” in foreign countries where they do not speak the language.
Countries that have agreed to receive migrants from third countries include South Sudan, Honduras, Rwanda, Guyana, and several Caribbean states like Dominica and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The first group sent to Costa Rica included migrants from Albania, Kenya, Morocco, China, India, Cameroon, as well as eight individuals from Guatemala and four from Honduras.
The expellees were initially taken to a hotel to receive assistance. During their first seven days in Costa Rica, they have the option to enroll in a voluntary return program. They can also choose to stay in Costa Rica under a temporary migration program or apply for refugee status.
If expellees choose to leave Costa Rica, they must inform local immigration authorities and specify whether they will need humanitarian assistance to depart or if they will cover the cost of the journey themselves.
Source: The Associated Press
/2026/04/19/69e4d589235ba963834137.jpg "War in the Middle East: Spain will ask the European Union to break its association agreement with")
