The Costa Rican Supreme Court ruled that illegal immigrants deported to the country by the United States must be released.
In February, Costa Rica accepted deportation flights totaling around 200 migrants after pressure from the Trump administration. The group was taken to the Temporary Migrant Care Center, a temporary shelter, close to the border with Panama, where they were made to stay or leave for their home countries. On Thursday, in a 4-3 vote, the Central American nation’s highest court ruled that the 28 remaining migrants must be released.
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The court ruled that the Costa Rican government had violated the group’s rights by failing to provide them with “timely and sufficient information” about their immigration status or give them access to legal counsel, NBC News reported.
“Nor was free contact with the media permitted, nor was there any information from the outset about the possibility of requesting asylum,” the court said in a statement.
The government was given 15 days to release the remaining migrants. The government reacted with outrage.
Omer Badilla, Costa Rica’s deputy minister of the interior and police, told Noticias Telemundo that the decision was a “serious error” that misunderstood the situation.
“[The constitutional ruling] makes no sense. For months, these people have had regular immigration status and complete freedom of movement,” he said.
“From our perspective, the Constitutional Court is mistaken and making a serious error. It clearly doesn’t understand the current situation at CATEM,” Badilla added.
Of the original group, 107 were sent back to their countries of origin, 35 left on their own, and 30 requested asylum in Costa Rica. The 28 remaining deportees, including 13 minors, hailed from Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Iran.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited Costa Rica on Wednesday and met with Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chávez Robles. She then visited the Los Lagos Detention Center and met with members from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Joint Security Program.