Costa Rica to accept 25 deportees per week under Trump deportation effort

Key Points:

• Costa Rica has agreed to accept 25 migrants deported weekly from the United States under a new agreement supporting the Trump administration’s policy of deporting immigrants to “third countries.”
• The pact, signed during a visit from US envoy Kristi Noem, allows Costa Rica to process these migrants under its migration laws with a special status and to reject transfers if necessary.
• Critics argue that such third-country deportations leave migrants in legal limbo, often in countries where they do not speak the language and may face risks, with similar agreements also signed by nations in Africa and the Americas.
• Costa Rica previously faced criticism over its treatment of deportees last year, including detaining hundreds in poor conditions, but officials now promise improved treatment and cooperation with international organizations for housing and repatriation.
• The Trump administration has spent over $40 million to deport roughly 300 migrants to third countries, a practice seen by legal experts as circumventing protections against returning people to places where they face danger.