The United States deported 135 migrants of various nationalities to Costa Rica on Thursday, including 65 minors, as part of an agreement to process deportees before repatriating them to their home countries, the Costa Rican government confirmed.
The flight departed from San Diego, California, and landed at a base near Juan Santamaria International Airport, where an AFP journalist witnessed the arrival. From there, authorities transported the deportees by bus to a migrant facility near Costa Rica’s border with Panama, approximately 360 kilometers (224 miles) away.
Costa Rica’s Deputy Interior Minister Omer Badilla stated that all 65 minors on the flight were accompanied by a relative and that none of the deportees had a criminal record.
The group included individuals from Afghanistan, China, Iran, Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Vietnam, Jordan, Kazakhstan, and Ghana.
Costa Rica, along with Panama and Guatemala, has agreed to temporarily receive migrants expelled by the United States before facilitating their return to their countries of origin or resettlement in third countries.
Last week, a similar deportation effort saw 299 migrants land in Panama, with around 100 being transferred to the San Vicente refugee camp in Meteti, located in the Darien jungle province.
