Costa Rica To Accept Dozens Of Deportees From Third Countries Per Week, Becomes Latest Nation To Reach Deal With Trump Admin

Costa Rica reached a deal with the Trump administration to receive 25 deportees from third countries a week as it seeks to strengthen ties with the U.S. government, according to a new report.

The agreement was signed on the U.S. side by former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who now serves as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas coalition against drug trafficking.

Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves said the deal is voluntary and nonbinding and allows the country to decide which deportees to accept, including the choice of certain nationalities. The U.S. will provide financial support for the operation and the International Organization for Migration will pay for the cost of deportees' housing and meals.

The announcement comes after the Argentine government, also a U.S. ally, rejected reporting about negotiating a similar agreement.

The idea, according to the NYT, was for deportees to be flown to Argentina, from where they could be offered flights to return to their home countries. It said that remaining obstacles included the potential financial cost this would have for Argentina, going through budget cuts implemented by the Milei administration, as well as a lack of infrastructure to house and transport migrants.

Two other Latin American countries, however, did reach a deal to take in deportees: Paraguay and Ecuador, which are also friendly with the Trump administration. The later clarified that those sent there must have not committed crimes or have health issues.

The Trump administration is continuously looking for countries to send deportees from third countries. In October, the Central American nation of Belize also signed such an agreement.

In August, the Trump administration struck a deal with Honduras to send deportees from third countries. Concretely, it accepted to receive a few hundred deportees over a two-year period, but it opened the door to taking in more.

Moreover, a new report by The New York Times described a secret agreement with Cameroon was secured using financial and diplomatic pressure.

The deal, reached this winter, involved withholding $30 million from a United Nations refugee program in Cameroon and remaining silent on a deadly post-election crackdown by President Paul Biya's government, officials told the outlet.

The agreement formalizes a policy that had already been taking shape earlier this year. In January, several migrants were flown from the United States to Cameroon despite having no ties to the country, with some saying they were unaware of their destination until they were placed on flights in handcuffs and shackles.