US to deport 135 migrants to Costa Rica, nearly half are minors
Photo: Among the 135 deportees from Asian countries, 65 are children (Getty Images)
The US has organized a deportation flight to Costa Rica on Thursday, which will transport 135 illegal migrants. Nearly half of them are minors, NBC News reports.
The migrants set for deportation are from China, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, and other countries. Among the 135 deportees, there are 65 minors and at least two pregnant women. Some countries from which the migrants arrived have not easily accepted to repatriate them. In this situation, Costa Rica is playing the role of a "bridge," US officials stated.
The deportation flight is the latest one directed to Central America, while around 300 people, also mostly from Asian countries, are being held in a hotel in Panama. The US is covering the cost of these flights, including those that will ultimately return migrants to their home countries. Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration, a UN agency, is providing humanitarian support.
Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves stated that his country is helping its "economically powerful brother from the north."
"If they impose a tax in our free zones, it’ll screw us. I don’t think they’ll do it, thank God," Chaves said.
The reports indicate that none of the migrants have a criminal record, but they are undocumented. Upon landing, the migrants will take a bus for a six-hour trip to the town of Corredores, on the border with Panama, where they will be housed in a Temporary Migrant Care Center.
The administration of US President Donald Trump is preparing to reinstate the practice of detaining migrant families. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) mission has developed a "request for proposals," inviting private prison companies to submit bids for contracts to reopen detention facilities specifically designated for families. This move could lead to an increase in the number of children and teenagers being detained.
