Migration Deal: Costa Rica to receive weekly deportees from the United States

Costa Rica has agreed to accept up to 25 migrants per week deported from the United States under a controversial “third-country” arrangement tied to policies advanced during the tenure of President Donald Trump.

The agreement, described by Costa Rica as a “non-binding migration pact,” allows authorities to accept or reject individuals transferred by the U.S. The deal was signed during a visit by U.S. envoy Kristi Noem, part of broader efforts to secure regional cooperation on migration control.

Costa Rica joins countries such as Rwanda, Honduras, South Sudan and Guyana, along with Caribbean states like Dominica and Saint Kitts and Nevis, that have entered similar arrangements to receive deportees who are not their citizens.

Public Security Minister Mario Zamora Cordero said migrants would be processed under special legal status and that the government would avoid returning individuals to countries where they may face persecution. Authorities plan to coordinate with the International Organization for Migration to provide temporary accommodation while arranging returns to migrants’ home countries. However, officials have not clarified where deportees will be held or for how long.

The policy has sparked criticism from legal experts and human rights groups, who warn that such transfers can leave migrants in legal uncertainty , often in unfamiliar countries without adequate protections.

Costa Rica has previously faced scrutiny after detaining around 200 deportees from countries including Russia, China and Afghanistan in a remote facility near the Panama border. Following legal challenges and allegations of rights violations, the country’s Supreme Court ordered their release.

A U.S. Senate report estimates that Washington has spent at least $40 million relocating about 300 migrants to third countries, underscoring the scale and controversy of the policy.