Immigrants Set Fire In Holding Center

Four Nicaraguans last weekend attempted to set fire to an immigration holding center where they were being detained, the Public Security Ministry said.

The Nicaraguans were being held at the center in Hatillo, a district south of San José, where undocumented immigrants are forced to wait until Immigration officials decide what to do with them.

On Friday morning, the immigrants piled up mattresses in the center’s courtyard and set them ablaze, a ministry press release said.

Immigration department employees swiftly moved to extinguish the flames before anyone was hurt, the press release stated. National Police arrested the suspects and brought them to a San José police station.