The president of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves, declared a state of Emergency in his country due to the current migration crisis. Thousands of irregular migrants, mostly Cubans, arrive in Costa Rica every day in search of continuing their journey to the southern border of the United States. The Vice Minister of the Presidency, Jorge Rodríguez, commented on the topic. “The number of people arriving exceeds the institutional capacity to care for them.” Costa Rica is a mandatory step for migrants who “climb” country by country until they reach American soil and request asylum there. In the case of Cubans, they fly with a free visa to Nicaragua and then make the journey throughout Central America.
Official data revealed by the Costa Rican immigration authorities indicate that, in September alone, more than 60,000 undocumented immigrants have crossed through Paso Canoas. The site is right on the border with Panama and the majority comes from Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela.
The crisis worsened last August. During that month, around 2,700 people crossed the aforementioned area daily, triple the number registered in July.
Authorities have the floor
The government vice minister warned about the current situation. “Everything this creates in terms of demand for services, waste generation and mobility conditions is an enormous pressure on the community.”
Such a panorama is addressed jointly by government authorities and agencies specialized in immigration issues. But what is the main objective of establishing the state of Emergency?
Under this figure the government now has special powers. It has the possibility, without consulting the legislative branch, of approving extra resources and allocating them to the communities most affected by the wave of migration.
A very similar situation exists today in Panama. The immigration authorities of that country revealed that so far this year around 390 thousand people have crossed the dangerous Darien Jungle.
