Tensions Rise With influx of Nicaraguans
Migrants
Crime and joblessness have long plagued the tough Leon XIII neighborhood northwest of San José, where residents do their best to steer clear of broken pavement and drug dealers on street corners.

Some residents complain that things have gotten worse in the last few years.  "There are a lot of Nicas here," one resident who wantd to remain anonymous,  using the negative term for Nicaraguans.

Many of the immigrants, many of them undocumented, of this area will be greatly affected by the recent law that aims to stem the influx of illegal workers, in what perhaps is the biggest problem facing the country.

Many Costa Ricans are moderate when discussing immigration. But the continued southward flow of impoverished Nicaraguans into Costa Rica, Central America's most prosperous nation has inflamed tensions between these neighbors.

The 192-mile-long border is virtually unguarded, allowing Nicaraguans to slip easily into Costa Rica, where the per capita gross national income of us$4,700 is six times higher than in Nicaragua.

Some analysts say Costa Rica has benefited from the steady supply of cheap labor to harvest the nation's bananas and coffee, mop its floors, and tend to its children. Costa Rica boasts the region's highest standard of living and provides universal healthcare. The nation has invested heavily in education and boasts a thriving technology industry.

But nagging poverty, sluggish economic growth, and fraying of the social safety net have many Costa Ricans fearful that uncontrolled immigration is undermining their hard-won gains.

An estimated 4.5%  of the nation's population are undocumented Nicaraguans.

Including legal residents, specialists calculate that as much as 15% of Costa Rica's population is foreign-born. Nicaraguans, who make up most of that population, have been arriving in large numbers for the last 25 years because of war, natural disasters, and social instability in their country.

''Even the United States would have problems" absorbing so many newcomers, said economist Eduardo Lizano, president of Academy of Central America, a think tank in San José.

Approved late last year and slated to be implemented in August, Costa Rica's new immigration law is aimed largely at those who profit from undocumented workers.

It makes "coyotage" - the human trafficking - a crime for the first time and punishable by up to six years in prison. And it significantly hikes fines on Costa Ricans caught employing illegal immigrants to ¢1.5 million colones (us$3.000) per violation, up from as little as ¢5.000 colones, said Johnny Marin, Costa Rica's director of immigration.

The law was passed late last year but was pushed back for 8 months allowing the new government time to phase it in. Some expect the Arias government to scrap the law or modify it to appease the large number of illegals.

Marin said immigration had largely been a good thing, providing Costa Rica with labor and cultural diversity. But he said rising acrimony necessitated an overhaul.

Costa Ricans blame Nicaraguans and other foreigners for all manner of ills, Marin said. News reports frequently note the nationalities of foreigners accused of crimes, particularly Nicaraguans and Colombians, though in reality the number of crimes committed by foreigners is small, percentage wise, compared to crimes committed by Costa Ricans.

The immigration issue has added to long-running tensions between Costa Rica and its northern neighbor. The countries are embroiled in a dispute over navigation rights to the San Juan River. Nicaragua recalled its ambassador to Costa Rica last fall and previously sent troops to the border region, a move viewed as particularly provocative by Costa Rica, which has no standing army.

The dispute is currently before the international court at the Hague, Costa Rican making a formal request for a court decision, enfuriating Nicaraguan officials, who imposed a visa fee of us$20 for Costa Ricans travelling to Nicaragua in a retaliatory move.

Nicaraguans were also incensed by the death of Natividad Canda Mairena, a Nicaraguan living in Costa Rica, who was mauled by tow Rottweiler guard dogs for 1 1/2 hours in November in an attempted burglary. The attack prompted a barrage of jokes in Costa Rica, including a cartoon showing a pack of Rottweilers defending Costa Rica's northern border.

Immigrant advocates say Costa Rica's overhaul probably would not stem the tide of job seekers. The Ministry of Labour has made a recommendation to the immigration service to suspend all work permits for foreign domestic workers, a move not necessarily aimed at Nicaraguans, who make up a large part of the domestic worker work force.

Employers have come to rely on this cheap source of labor. And desperation knows no borders, said Gustavo Gatica, who works with Pastoral Social, an immigrant rights group affiliated with the Catholic Church in San José.

''As long as there is hunger, as long as there is poverty, immigration won't be stopped," Gatica said.