Costa Rica signed an initial agreement with the United States to accept U.S. deportees from other countries, the Costa Rican presidency said on March 23.
Costa Rica can make a final decision on whether to accept the migrants, the presidency said in a statement, with as many as 25 people expected to be transferred to the country per week.
The nonbinding memorandum of understanding gives the country full authority to reject proposed transfers or set specific criteria.
“The U.S. will put forth the necessary financial support,” the presidency said in a statement, while the U.N.-tied International Organization for Migration will offer food and housing.
The agreement was signed in the capital following talks between the two governments. Officials said it was a cooperative step to manage deportations while protecting national sovereignty and human rights.
This latest agreement fits into a pattern of U.S. efforts to expand deportation capacity through partners in Latin America when an illegal immigrant’s home nation refuses to accept their return.
Costa Rica began accepting noncitizen deportees from the United States in February 2025 as part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement strategy. Similar arrangements or discussions involved Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, India, Honduras, and Mexico, as well as other nations willing to serve as temporary or permanent hosts.
Section 241(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act requires that Immigration and Customs Enforcement send deportees back to their nation of origin, or the country in which they boarded the transport that brought them to America.
If that fails, the section also allows for the agency to remove illegal aliens to any country that will accept them.
The new agreement expands that cooperation while maintaining case-by-case control.
In May 2025, the Department of Homeland Security announced an assistance program for illegal immigrants willing to self-deport.
The package includes financial and travel assistance back to their home countries, organized through the CBP Home App.
“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest, and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest. DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App,” then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said at the time. “This is the safest option for our law enforcement, aliens and is a 70 percent savings for US taxpayers. Download the CBP Home App TODAY and self-deport.”
Reuters and Savannah Hulsey Pointer contributed to this report.
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