Images of improvised rafts crossing the Straights of Florida have become iconic of Cuban immigration to the U.S. but the majority of Cubans entering the U.S. today choose the overland route through Central America — including Costa Rica — to reach family or a new life in the U.S.
A recently released survey of Ticos’ perception of foreigners in Costa Rica, conducted by the National University’s Social Studies Institute, or IDESPO, found that many Costa Ricans view U.S. expats as “wealthy” and “powerful,” while they believe Nicaraguans “come to work” and “seek the well-being of their families.”
Five people handling the migrants, who were from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua, were arrested, an official in the prosecutor's office told AFP.
The two dozen men standing guard on a rutted road that cuts through these lime groves and corn fields are just one small part of a citizen militia movement spreading over the lowlands of western Mexico. But as they told their stories, common threads emerged: Los Angeles gang members. Deported Texas construction workers. Dismissed Washington state apple pickers.
