A coalition of human rights attorneys is filing suit against Costa Rica, alleging that the Central American nation violated the rights of numerous migrant children by detaining them at a rural base for about two months after their expulsion from the US in February.
The children, including some as infants as 2, belong to a bunch of many hundred migrants, especially from Asian nations such as Russia, China and Afghanistan. They were deported from the U.S. as part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to expedite deportations.
Many had sought asylum in the U.S. and were frightened to return to their residence nations. Instead, they found themselves in Costa Rica and Panama, where they do not understand the local language. Initially, these countries served as temporary deportation stops, but after 50 days, the migrants remain in a state of uncertainty.
Critics condemned it as a U.S. Deportation exports have raised concerns as human rights advocates cautioned that both countries are becoming a “black hole” for deportees. In Costa Rica, about 200 migrants, including 81 children, were relocated to a rural processing center on the Costa Rica-Panama border and held in a deteriorating factory.
On Thursday evening, the Global Strategic Litigation Council and various human rights organizations presented a case to the U.N. a committee tasked with upholding the Convention on the Rights of the Child has reported that Costa Rica breached the convention.
Silvia Serna Roman, a lawyer involved in the case, raised alarms about the migrants being detained without legal status and lacking access to educational and mental health services. their native language. This situation has raised fears about the lasting impact of extended detention on children, as many parents have noted signs of isolation or depression in their kids.
Serna Roman stated on Friday,
“The children are at a crucial developmental stage and are fleeing complex situations in their countries. They are now facing prolonged detention and inhumane treatment. The parents are concerned.”
Serna Roman noted that migrants have had limited access to legal assistance. The Costa Rican government stated that migrants may leave the detention center if they agree to return to their home countries or apply for asylum in Costa Rica.
However, the attorney noted that many families fear they would have nowhere to turn and could find themselves homeless, leading them to remain in “indefinite detention” at the CATEM facility. “Many individuals are reluctant to leave CATEM because it at least offers shelter, three meals daily, and a roof over their heads,” said Serna Roman. “The Costa Rican government has not been clear about its plans to better protect these people.”
The lawsuit filed by GSLC and local human rights organizations is just the most recent in a series of legal disputes concerning deportees sent to Central American countries. This same group of lawyers previously initiated a similar case against Panama, where migrants were held in hotels and isolated camps in the Darien Gap, with deportees reporting a lack of access to their phones.
Last month, strong criticisms compelled the Panamanian government to set migrants free on the streets of Panama City, forcing many to fend for themselves. In recent months, the deportation of groups of Venezuelan migrants and an US citizen to El Salvador has ignited legal battles and political chaos, as they are detained in a high-security prison associated with gangs, despite scant evidence supporting their alleged gang ties.