No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveAssembly Approves Immigration Bill

Assembly Approves Immigration Bill

LEGISLATORS passed a controversialnew law last week that updates CostaRica’s outdated immigration codes andattempts to address the country’s growingimmigrant population.The law allows police greater freedomin their attempts to discover andremove illegal immigrants, and punishesemployees who hire undocumentedworkers (TT, Aug. 26). It also givesundocumented immigrants eight monthsto become legal or face deportation, andgrants migratory police the power toenter any business at any time anddemand to see employees’ documentation.While supporters say the law willalleviate the strain the illegal immigrantpopulation puts on the country’s alreadyburdened health care and education systems,opponents decry the law’s severityand potential for abuse of authority. Anestimated 200,000 illegal immigrants livein Costa Rica; 150,000 are Nicaraguan.President Abel Pacheco said hewould not veto the law, in response to asuggestion he do so by presidential candidateand former President Oscar Arias.“This is a law that has been widelydiscussed… and was rejected by only fivelegislators,” Pacheco said.National Liberation Party (PLN) legislatorLuis Ramírez voted to pass the bill.“(Now), there are a lot of little gatesfor undocumented foreigners to enterthrough without control,” he told wire serviceACAN-EFE.But human rights, religious and academicgroups are alarmed at what they sayis a hard-line approach to immigrationthat fails to guarantee the right of dueprocess and protection for refugees.“You can’t make a law for immigrantsthat is repressive, because many ofthose who immigrated have, come to provideriches for this country,” Citizen ActionParty (PAC) legislator Gerardo Vargas, whovoted against the bill, said in a statement.The bill does not increase the $600monthly income requirement for retireesseeking residency here under the pensionadoscategory, as was originally proposed.Foreigners will also still be allowed toapply for residency as rentistas, proving amonthly income of $1,000.

Trending Now

Former Costa Rican Minister Arrested for Drug Trafficking, Faces U.S. Extradition

Costa Rica’s judicial police arrested Celso Gamboa, a former security minister and Supreme Court judge, on Monday, following a U.S. request for his extradition...

Costa Rica’s Piangua Mollusk Threatened by Pineapple Farm Runoff

Costa Rica’s Térraba-Sierpe National Wetland, a 33,000-hectare haven of mangroves and rivers, is under siege from an unlikely source: pineapple farms. A study by...

Costa Rica’s Rare Birds at Risk as Human Activity Threatens Extinction

Costa Rica’s bare-necked umbrellabird, a striking black bird with a red throat pouch and crest, is in trouble. A new study in Nature Ecology...

Costa Rica and U.S. Strengthen Border Scans and Biometric Cooperation

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem met Wednesday with Honduran President Xiomara Castro to discuss security and migration, following her offer in Costa...

A Costa Rica Love Story: From Rustic Cabina to Separate Dreams

My Tica wife and I have been together for over a quarter century. When we met, I was living a simple life here. Three...

An Expat’s Take: 5 Burning Questions About Life in Costa Rica Right Now

Have you been keeping up with the various events taking place in Costa Rica? There is always something interesting going down, and here are...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica