Costa Rica police arrest two Cuban migrants after fight in refugee shelter

January 20^th, 2016 (ICR News) Two Cuban nationals were taken arrested on Tuesday after a fight broke out in a shelter being used to house Cuban migrants that have been stranded in Costa Rica since mid-November.

The incident took place in the parsonage of the Catholic Church in Laguna de Zarcero, Alajuela that has been converted into a shelter for migrants.

One of the men began choking the other when police officers intervened.  A door was also broken during the scuffle.  The men are 32 and 34 years of age, according to police.

Deputy chief of police for Zarcero, Gerardo Araya said that there is a police presence at the hostel 24 hours per day to ensure the safety of those staying there.

Police said that this is the second fight that has occurred at the same shelter.  In another incident, a woman bit another woman who required treatment at a hospital for the wound.

Some 30 shelters have been established throughout the country to house some 8,000 Cuban migrants until they are able to continue their journey to the United States via an air route to El Salvador.