Costa Rica has declared a state of emergency due to the unprecedented flow of migrants transiting the Central American country-a plan Catholic relief officials described as coming after a slow response to the growing “humanitarian crisis.”
The declaration-made official on 29th September-allows the government to more easily direct resources toward migration and public security matters, according to local media. In outlining his plans to declare a state of emergency on 27th September, President Rodrigo Cháves accused migrants of “behaving badly” in Costa Rica and “lacking respect for the authorities, causing disturbances,” according to the BBC.
“The message is that they’re going to return to their country of origin because here we will not tolerate it,” Chaves said. “I’ve instructed the public security ministry to have a firm hand with those few people who think that the kindness of Costa Ricans can be confused for weakness.”
Catholics working with migrants said the Costa Rican government has offered little humanitarian assistance and preferred to scapegoat migrants instead of supporting them. “The policy has been that people advance (through the country) but when there are so many people … with so many needs for attention and assistance, no response has been given,” Roy Arias Cruz, border coordinator with Jesuit Migrant Service for Costa Rica, told OSV News.
Picture: Venezuelan migrants line up for food as they rest during their journey to the United States at a shelter in San Jose, Costa Rica, 18th October 2022. Costa Rica officially declared a state of emergency on 29th September 2023, in response to the unprecedented flow of migrants transiting the Central American country. The declaration allows the government to more easily direct resources toward migration and public security matters, according to local media. (OSV News photo/Mayela Lopez, Reuters)