In response to an impending surge of Central American migrants heading to the United States, Costa Rican president, Carlos Alvarado, has declared a state of emergency in the Central American country.
The emergency decree was issued on April 25th and comes on the heels of record numbers of migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras seeking entry into the United States. The number of migrants attempting the journey has increased significantly over the last year, with an estimated 94,000 people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in March alone.
The Costa Rican government has responded to the increase in migrants by deploying more than 1,000 security officers to secure its borders and assist with identification and repatriation efforts. The government has also established a specialized task force to register and borough migrants to the United States, with around 5,000 migrants bussed to the US border in the past few weeks alone.
The state of emergency decree includes heightened surveillance of the country’s borders with Nicaragua and Panama, as well as increases the country’s capacity to detain, identify, and repatriate any undocumented migrants. President Alvarado also highlighted the importance of providing alternative safe methods of repatriation for vulnerable migrants, such as unaccompanied children, elderly people, and disabled persons.
The decree brings with it an additional $31 million in financial aid to assist with bolstering of the Costa Rican security forces. The aid is expected to support the country in providing additional humanitarian assistance to the migrants, as well as to cover the cost of any repatriations.
The Central American nation has been tackling the migrant influx for some time, but has faced severe challenges in dealing with the situation. The state of emergency in Costa Rica represents the country’s latest effort to combat the rising number of migrants seeking entry into the United States.