1.700 Illegal
Nicaraguans Detained in
Two Days
With the tens of
thousands of Nicaraguans
returning legally to
Costa Rica after a visit
to the homeland for the
holidays, thousands more
try to make it through
the border without
checking in to
immigration controls.
The press chief of the
Ministerio de Seguridad
Pública, Ricardo
González Camacho,
revealed yesterday that
the Policía de Migración
(immigration police)
detained 1.700
Nicaraguans between
Thursday and Friday, who
had made their way into
Costa Rica illegally.
The illegals had crossed
the border controls at
Peñas Blancas, in
Guanacaste, and Upala
and Los Chiles, in
Alajuela (the Northern
Zone).
Immigration officials
estimate that 60.000
Nicaraguans headed home
for the holiday and are
making their way back
this week to be at work
on Monday. With them
thousands are expected
to accompany their
friends and relatives to
Costa Rica in search of
work, many without
passports.
The return back to Costa
Rica, according to
immigration officials,
began on January 2 and
will continue into
Sunday or even Monday.
According to Fernando
Acuña, head of the
border control post at
Los Chiles, they have
daily intercepted
between 175 and 200
undocumented
Nicaraguans.
That number, according
to Acuña does not
include the detained in
Sarapiquí and San
Carlos.
Costa Rican immigration
officials, according to
Acuña are inundated with
illegals, which are
returned home.
Francisco Castaing, head
of the Policía de
Migración, said that the
intense controls will
continue until the
middle of January, with
added personnel from San
José sent to the Peñas
Blancas and Northern
Zone .
Fernando Berrocal,
ministro de Seguridad
Pública, defended the
heavy police action
against the illegals,
saying that, yes, Costa
Rica needs the manual
labour offered by
Nicaraguans, but is also
important that they
respect its immigration
laws.
"We are very thankful to
the workers of our
northern neighbours to
help with the
development in Costa
Rica, however, all who
want to come to work
here must do it
legally", said Berrocal.
In the second half of
2007 the Costa Rica
government authorized
work visas to thousands
of Nicaraguans who
visited the Costa Rican
consulate in Nicaragua,
desiring to work in
Costa Rica primarily in
the construction sector
which is experiencing a
shortage of labour.
A number of the illegals
detained by immigration
officials suggested that
Costa Rica open a
consulate in San Carlos,
allowing residents of
Chontales, San Juan and
Zelaya in Nicaragua to
process their visas
rather than have to
travel to Managua or
Rivas. |
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