iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
Costa Rica has agreed to accept illegal Indian migrants deported from the United States, providing a temporary solution while their eventual fate is worked out, reports said.
The deportations will begin Wednesday, February 19, under a U.S.-funded program, with the migrants being detained at a temporary center near the Panama border, as announced by Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles’ office.
Neither Costa Rica nor the U.S. have revealed what will happen to the migrants after their detention in Costa Rica.
However, the arrangement allows the U.S. to avoid setting up large detention facilities for migrants within its borders, preventing negative public perception.
“The Government of Costa Rica agreed to collaborate with the United States in the repatriation of 200 illegal immigrants to their country,” the President’s office stated.
India, for its part, has agreed to take back at least 18,000 illegal migrants from the U.S., with Washington beginning to deport them directly to India. On Monday, February 17, the third flight carrying 112 illegal migrants landed in Amritsar.
During his visit to Washington last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed India’s commitment to accepting any verified Indian migrants in the U.S. He also pledged to crack down on human traffickers who exploit vulnerable individuals.
The arrangement with Costa Rica follows a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who worked to gain the country’s cooperation with President Donald Trump’s efforts to combat illegal migration. Similar agreements have been reached with El Salvador, Panama, and Guatemala to accept deported migrants.
Last week, illegal migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China were sent to Panama. Additionally, the Trump administration established a detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, which, though located in Cuba, is leased to the U.S. as a naval base, where it operates under a unique legal framework.
Costa Rica lies along the route taken by illegal migrants traveling from South America, through the dangerous Darien Gap jungles of Panama, on their way to the US. Some social media videos promoting illegal migration from India highlight this route, known as the “Donkey Route” or “Dunki”.
At a press conference in Washington earlier this month, alongside President Trump, Prime Minister Modi reiterated that India and the U.S. share a strong stance on illegal migration. Modi also highlighted the need to protect vulnerable, poor people from being deceived into illegal immigration.
(Photo courtesy: x.com/siddharthpandy)
