Jorge Antonio Rocha
14 April 2026•Update: 14 April 2026
The Office of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Costa Rica on Monday demanded information regarding the 25 migrants deported by the US who arrived in the country on April 11, setting a 24-hour deadline for authorities to disclose their whereabouts.
In a statement, the ombudsman said that since the arrival of the immigrants in Costa Rica, communication channels between the oversight body and migration authorities have been lost.
“As of today, this Office of the Ombudsman does not have information regarding the location of these individuals, which prevents us from carrying out an on-site verification of the conditions in which this group of people is being held. The Ombudsman has established a 24-hour deadline to obtain this information,” the statement said.
The administration of US President Donald Trump secured an agreement with Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves, under which the Central American nation committed to receiving 25 migrants per week deported from the US.
The first of these flights took place on April 11, when the initial group of deportees of eight different nationalities arrived at Juan Santamaria International Airport in Alajuela.
According to Costa Rican migration authorities, the deportees came from Guatemala, Cameroon, Honduras, India, China, Albania, Kenya, and Morocco. Only one individual among those deported was of Costa Rican origin.
Ombudswoman, Angie Cruickshank Lambert, sent a request to the Vice Minister of the Interior and Police asking that, within the next 24 hours, authorities provide the location of these individuals and specify how long their stay at that site is expected to last.
The US government has strengthened ties with regional allies in Central America for migration-related purposes. The Trump administration has already sent hundreds of deportees to El Salvador, where serious crimes against detainees have been reported, including torture, sexual violence, and forced disappearance.
The ombudsman’s office in Costa Rica is urging the disclosure of the detainees’ conditions and is calling for an inter-institutional response to ensure the protection needs of all individuals in this first group of deportees are met.
