Costa Rica to receive illegal Indians from United States

Following in the footsteps of Panama and Guatemala, Costa Rica has announced that it will receive illegal migrants deported from the United States, who are nationals of other countries, including from India.

The central American nation's presidential office on Monday said that 200 migrants from central Asia and India would arrive on a commercial flight from the US on Wednesday. "The government of Costa Rica agreed to collaborate with the United States in the repatriation of 200 illegal immigrants to their country," the Costa Rican president's office said in a statement, adding "these are people originating from... Central Asia and India."

It is not yet known how and when Indian deportees will be sent to India.


Upon arrival in Costa Rica, the deportees will be transported to a temporary migrant care centre near the border with Panama. Costa Rica announced that "the process will be completely financed" by the US government under the supervision of the International Organization for Migration.

Panama and Guatemala agreed to a similar arrangement after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's recent tour of Latin America. Panama received its first repatriation flight with 119 migrants onboard last week. None have arrived in Guatemala yet.

As many as 324 Indians, who entered the USA illegally, have been deported to India since the first week of February, with the third flight landing in Amritsar on Sunday night.

The issue of illegal migration from India to the USA figured prominently during the recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in Washington.

India has agreed to take back its nationals who entered the US illegally. "Those staying illegally in other countries have no legal right to remain there," the PM said last Friday.