Costa Rica Receives First US Deportees under Migration Deal

Costa Rica has begun receiving migrants deported from the US under a new bilateral agreement, marking a significant expansion of Washington’s third-country deportation strategy.

Costa Rica’s General Directorate of Migration confirmed that the first group of 25 migrants arrived from countries including Albania, Cameroon, China, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Kenya, and Morocco. Upon arrival, migrants are receiving initial assistance from specialized immigration authorities, in coordination with the International Organization for Migration.

Under the agreement signed in March, Costa Rica will accept up to 25 deported migrants per week. The US will provide financial support, while the International Organization for Migration will cover food and accommodation during the migrants’ first seven days in the country.

The policy forms part of a broader push by US President Donald Trump to expand mass deportations, including relocating migrants to third countries that are not their countries of origin. US officials argue the approach is necessary in cases where home countries refuse to accept deported nationals.

However, the program has drawn criticism from Democratic lawmakers and human rights advocates, who argue that deporting migrants to unfamiliar countries, often where they do not speak the language or have family ties, raises serious humanitarian concerns.

In February, Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee released a report stating that such deportation agreements cost US taxpayers millions of dollars and, in some cases, exceed $1 million per individual deported, while delivering limited practical benefits.