The country celebrates an increase in the number of tourists. It also welcomes new airlines arriving in the country. But the visitors come and face long lines, closed migration windows and it takes up to two hours to complete their entry.
Why? Because the number of migration officers is practically the same.
Some migrants -who prefer to remain anonymous- point out that the lines are getting longer. Some tourists booed officials and several visitors needed medical attention at Juan Santamaria Airport.
The main airport in the country employs 108 migration officials in four groups. In 2013 there were 125 officers. But in the last four years that went from serving 50 daily flights to more than 70.
In 2013, more than 3.5 million passengers entered the terminal, but by November 2016 it exceeded four million 90 thousand.
Nationals and foreigners complain. The lines are endless. It is clear that it is necessary to increase the numbers in migration police,”
said Gerardo Mora, president of the ANEP branch of the Professional Migration Police.
At Daniel Oduber Airport in Liberia, they also require more staff. They have 21 officers and the projection is that they need twice as many. On weekends, there are up to 45 flights a day and it is difficult to deal with all of them.
The Migration Police has about 358 agents throughout the national territory. More than five years ago, the “temporary” support of the airport police was requested for six months, but the collaboration continues in force although they do not have the necessary training.
Mora explained that next week, the union plans to meet at the presidential house to raise the need to incorporate the Immigration Police into the Tax Law to legal persons. The standard provides resources to the Public Force, the Judiciary and the Ministry of Justice.