Costa Rica Accepts First U.S. Deported Migrants Under New Third Country Deal Facebook Instagram Twitter Youtube Local News Latin America News Expat Life Travel Weather Costa Rica Weather Forecast Costa Rica Weather Guide Sports Soccer Surfing Tennis Wildlife Tico Shop Classifieds Advertise Search Tico Times COSTA RICA\'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER Sign in Welcome! Log into your account your username your password Forgot your password? Get help Privacy Password recovery Recover your password your email A password will be e-mailed to you. No menu items! Sign in / Join Tico Times Since 1956 Search COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER Local News Latin America News Expat Life Travel Weather Costa Rica Weather Forecast Costa Rica Weather Guide Sports Soccer Surfing Tennis Wildlife Tico Shop Classifieds Advertise Today in Costa Rica Costa Rica Begins New Era as Laura Fernández Takes Office Costa Rica Central Bank Warns Dollar Decline Could Reverse Global Leaders Arrive in Costa Rica for Presidential Transition Costa Rica Press Freedom Under Scrutiny After US Visa Revocations Fresh Del Monte to Close Four Banana Farms in Costa Rica Home Costa Rica Costa Rica Accepts First U.S. Deported Migrants Under New Third Country Deal Costa Rica Accepts First U.S. Deported Migrants Under New Third Country Deal By Tico Times April 12, 2026 Share Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Email (Photo by Ezequiel BECERRA / AFP) Costa Rica received its first group of migrants deported from the United States on Saturday under a new third-country agreement signed in March, marking the start of a policy that allows Washington to send some non-Costa Rican deportees to the country instead of returning them directly to their homelands. The first group included 25 people. The migrants came from Albania, Cameroon, China, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Kenya, and Morocco. Costa Rica’s government had already said the arrangement could allow for the arrival of up to 25 deportees per week , though the country reserves the right to accept or reject individual cases. Under the agreement, the migrants are to be processed under Costa Rican migration law with temporary humanitarian protection while officials work on the next step in each case. U.S. funding is expected to cover the program, while the International Organization for Migration is set to provide basic support including food, lodging, and other assistance during the first week of their stay. Costa Rican officials have also said the country would not send people to places where they could face persecution. The deal deepens Costa Rica’s cooperation with the Trump administration’s expanded use of third-country deportations, a policy that has drawn attention across the region. The agreement was announced in late March after meetings between Costa Rican officials and U.S. representatives, and it was framed in San José as part of a broader migration and security relationship with Washington. The move is also likely to revive debate inside Costa Rica because the country already faced scrutiny in 2025 after accepting up to 200 migrants deported by the United States. That earlier operation led to criticism over conditions for migrants housed near the Panamanian border, and later forced the government to grant special migratory status to 85 people who remained in the country after repatriation efforts stalled. Human rights groups and critics in the United States and Costa Rica have argued that third-country deportation deals can leave migrants stranded in unfamiliar countries, far from family networks and often without language support. Supporters of the policy say it gives governments another tool to manage deportations when countries of origin are unwilling or slow to receive their nationals. For Costa Rica, the arrival of this first group means a controversial agreement is now no longer theoretical but active on the ground. Trending Now Guanacaste Volcano Now Most Active in Costa Rica Rincón de la Vieja has overtaken Turrialba and Poás as Costa Rica's most active volcano, vulcanologists at the National University said this week, after... Read more Costa Rican Angler Erika Sandi Makes History at the Offshore World Championship Erika Sandi put Costa Rica in the spotlight after an outstanding performance at the Offshore World Championship, where she secured both the Top Lady... Read more Costa Rica Press Freedom Under Scrutiny After US Visa Revocations Just days before Costa Rica inaugurates its new president, a deeply troubling development has cast a shadow over the country’s long-standing reputation as a... Read more Costa Rica International Reserves Near Record $21 Billion Costa Rica’s international reserves have climbed to one of the highest levels in our country’s history, nearing $21 billion and giving the Central Bank... Read more What Is the Scope of the Mega-Trial Against MS-13 Leaders in El Salvador? Shackled hand and foot, visibly aged, the MS-13 leaders on trial in El Salvador are now only a shadow of the violent gang members... Read more Costa Rica Warns Fuel and Food Prices May Rise From Middle East Shock Costa Rican consumers are expected to begin feeling the first effects of the inflationary shock linked to the conflict in the Middle East starting... Read more Tico Times Share Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Email San José Guanacaste Limón Puntarenas Loading… Feels like Humidity Wind Full Costa Rica Forecast → Data: OpenWeatherMap Latest News from Costa Rica Costa Rica Begins New Era as Laura Fernández Takes Office May 8, 2026 Costa Rica Central Bank Warns Dollar Decline Could Reverse May 7, 2026 Global Leaders Arrive in Costa Rica for Presidential Transition May 7, 2026 Salvadoran Newspaper Says Bukele Froze Partners’ Assets After Documentary May 7, 2026 Costa Rica Declares Green Alert at Poás Volcano Amid Increased Activity May 7, 2026 Costa Rica Names New Head of Costa Rica Tourism Institute May 7, 2026 Costa Rica Fuel Prices Jump as Drivers Face Higher Costs at the Pump May 7, 2026 © 2026 The Tico Times Facebook Facebook Instagram Instagram RSS RSS Twitter Twitter Youtube Youtube Services Classifieds Costa Rica Advertising Write For Us RSS Feed Support About Us Donate Privacy Terms of Service