Recently, a couple of news caught Costa Ricans’ attention. The first one was the change in the conditions for the renewal of the American visa, as part of an executive decree from President Donald Trump. The second one was the retention and deportation of a Costa Rican woman with a 6-month-old baby Houston airport.
Although the US Embassy said that for now there are no more changes in the visa process, and both the Directorate General of Immigration and Foreign Ministry said deportations are regular situations, many wonder if this is an indication that the US is closing its doors.
Migration data indicate that in December 2016 a total of 43,388 Costa Ricans went to the US. In January 2017 there were only 10,318 (although these data do not specify whether they left for tourism or migration purposes).
Óscar Camacho, head of the Consular Department, explained that according to the consular register there are 36, 000 Costa Ricans living in that country, but the number could increase because not everyone registers.
Guillermo Arroyo, director of the Institute of Social Studies in Population (IDESPO) of the National University (UNA), said that this is not the first time that the region experiences a tightening of immigration policies.
The researcher said the migratory rating by country will be more rigorous, since last week there were some restrictions announced for seven nationalities.
Costa Rica will have to follow the evolution of migration policies to avoid and prevent the transit of people from societies with a high level of crime and violence.