Raquel Vargas, director of the General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners (DGME), said that refuge applications from foreigners take about three months to be resolved. Therefore, due to the increase in these requests by Nicaraguans, the Directorate is giving them temporary permits to stay in the country.
Vargas explained that the different institutions should act in case any of them have any need, such as health care, for example.
The doors of the General Directorate of Migration and Immigration for people who are being persecuted and require protection are always open. We also have the task of issuing these documents in a reasonable time so that the people feel the protection from the Government,”
said Vargas.
Data provided to this media show that the number of Nicaraguans seeking refuge in Costa Rica has increased during the last weeks as the crisis in Nicaragua has worsened, leaving more than 212 dead.
Between January and March this year, 22 Nicaraguans applied for refuge in Costa Rica before the General Directorate of Migration and Immigration (DGME). In April, the number reached 20, and in May it rose to 88. So far in June, the DGME has received 1,280 of these requests, so the long lines outside Migration, in La Uruca, are more normal.