No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsCrimeMore than 100 African migrants caught entering Costa Rica illegally

More than 100 African migrants caught entering Costa Rica illegally

Police detained 116 migrants from Africa and Asia crossing Costa Rica’s southern border with Panama on Monday, according to a statement from the Public Security Ministry and the Immigration Administration. The immigration stop came after the government announced it would increase its police presence in the Southern Zone because of large numbers of Cuban migrants camped out just across the border in Panama.

The migrants, who did not have authorization to enter Costa Rica, were traveling on foot in groups of roughly 20 to 25 people, according to Public Security spokeswoman Patricia Meléndez. The largest number of migrants were from Ghana but authorities also detained people from Cameroon, Senegal, Nigeria and Mali, among other African countries. One migrant was from Afghanistan.

Immigration officials accepted refugee applications from 60 of the 116 migrants. The remaining 56 were returned to Panama, according to Immigration Administration spokeswoman Seidy Muñoz.

No arrests were made for human smuggling.

The overland route north through Central America to the United States and Canada is well known to migrants from outside the Western Hemisphere. Migrants from Africa and Asia fly to South American countries that do not require visas and then cross illegally into neighboring countries to reach North America.

This is the same path that thousands of Cuban migrants started using in increasing number during the last several years, culminating in a four-month immigration crisis in Costa Rica when a border dispute with Nicaragua left 7,800 migrants stranded here. Most of those migrants have since made it to the U.S.

Recommended: Costa Rica winds down humanitarian mission for Cuban migrants with presidential send-off

Trending Now

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...

Climate Change in Costa Rica Devastates Coffee Farms in Los Santos

In Costa Rica’s Los Santos region, famous for producing nearly half the country’s coffee, farmers are reeling from heavy losses driven by wild weather....

Internet Cut in Panama Near Costa Rica Border Amid Bocas del Toro Unrest

Panamanian authorities suspended internet and mobile phone services on Saturday in the Caribbean province of Bocas del Toro, following President José Raúl Mulino’s declaration...

Costa Rica and Panama Seek Gold Cup Glory Against North American Giants

With no Caribbean teams advancing, a Central American contingent made up of Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala heads into the quarterfinals of the...

Costa Rica’s Top Court Bans President Chaves from 2026 Election Campaign

Costa Rica’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal on Thursday barred President Rodrigo Chaves from participating in the 2026 election campaign, ruling that he "illegitimately used" his...

Costa Rica Hunts for Nicaraguan Hit Squad After Exile’s Assassination

Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) is investigating whether a hit squad tied to Nicaragua’s Ortega-Murillo regime is targeting exiled critics on its soil....
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