'It's like a cage': Migrants held at Costa Rica center voice criticism over treatment

Record ID: 1984848

  • Title: 'It's like a cage': Migrants held at Costa Rica center voice criticism over treatment
  • Date: 20th March 2025
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) RUSSIAN MIGRANT, GERMAN SMIRNOV, SAYING: "Of course I would like to be free in Costa Rica because this is my right, this is my will and even if I want to stay here I will tell to the authorities if I need to be kept here but they don't give any options.” HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST, MAURICIO HERRERA, WALKING AND LOOKING THROUGH FENCE OF MIGRANT CENTER (SOUN
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Catem migrants migration center passport
  • Location: PUNTA ARENAS AND ALAJUELA, COSTA RICA
  • City: PUNTA ARENAS AND ALAJUELA, COSTA RICA
  • Country: Costa Rica
  • Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,South America / Central America,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA003043520032025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Migrants held in a Costa Rica migrant center voiced their discontent over the treatment received at the place and the lack of response from the authorities to their petitions on Wednesday (March 19).
    Since early February, Costa Rica expected to receive migrants from other nations deported by the U.S. as part of a deal with Washington to temporarily house up to 200 deportees and pushed by the threat of U.S. tariffs on Costa Rican goods.
    The deportations are part of U.S. President Donald Trump's crackdown on unlawful migration which includes a growing number of flights to nations cooperating with him on the multinational repatriations.
    Migrants landing in Costa Rica are being held at the Temporary Attention Center for Migrants (CATEM), located in the southern zone, near the Panamanian border.
    Iranian migrant Alireza Salimivir, who is held at the center, told Reuters the place feels "like a cage" and denounced being denied freedom of movement in Costa Rica, adding that his passport was retained by immigration authorities.
    Human rights activist Mauricio Herrera supported the requests for free passage of the migrants held at the center, arguing that since their landing in Costa Rica, they were under the jurisdiction of the country, where they have not committed any crimes.
    The country has received migrants from countries such as Uzbekistan, China, Armenia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Russia, Georgia, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan and Ghana.
    (Production: Hector Guzman, Alberto Fajardo, Gloria Lopez)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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