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CONTEXT
Costa Rica's northern border with Nicaragua is 309 km long. The population of the region, as is often the case in cross-border contexts, reflects the history of integration and permanent coexistence between Nicaraguans and Costa Ricans. This is also evident among the institutional and community leaderships that have shaped the social, economic and political vision of the Northern Region.
This history has resulted in the formation of binational families of multiple generations, including Nicaraguans and Costa Ricans by birth or those who have later acquired the nationality.
This also entails permanent circular movement along the Northern border. There are two main official border crossings: Peñas Blancas (west, canton La Cruz) and Las Tablillas (east, canton Los Chiles). In addition, there is an official crossing to Nicaragua through the Río Frío river in Los Chiles and a temporary post for the Ticofrut company during the orange harvest. At least 24 irregular border crossings used by refugees and migrants for different reasons have also been identified.
In April 2018, the Northern Region was an entry point for more than 80,000 refugees going to different parts of the country. Some of these people remained in the Northern Region from the beginning of their displacement, while others made secondary movements to settle there, especially those engaged in rural labor.
Given the historical ties of the people on this border, some refugees were able to turn to support networks to start their lives in Costa Rica. This continues to happen with a significant portion of the recent and gradual arrivals that persist. As of 2019, organizational processes of Nicaraguan refugees, such as the Movimiento Campesino, have taken on a significant role in these support networks.
UNHCR works in 15 cantons in the northern Huetar and Chorotega regions, including four cantons bordering Nicaragua: La Cruz, Upala, Los Chiles and San Carlos. These 15 cantons are home to approximately 803,500 people, of which about 96,500 are foreign nationals (92% of Nicaraguan nationality), who have gradually entered the territory, especially since 2018, seeking international protection. Most of these people reside in 150 rural, dispersed and hard-to-reach communities. Some of them reside there permanently, while others reside there only seasonally in search of crop-related livelihoods. Other people reside in urban areas, mainly in Los Chiles and Upala.
Most asylum seekers face challenges integrating into the country. For example, many families are located within the wildlife corridor along the border, formally known as Refugio de Vida Silvestre Corredor Fronterizo and informally known as "La Milla". This is a special administrative area with limitations on land use and access to goods and services, which creates insecurity on land tenancy, which is not legally recognized, and poses a challenge for investment in the territory.
Not all people come from the North: the northern border region also serves people in transit from South to North. In 2023, according to the Migration Authority (DGME), more than 457,000 people transited through Costa Rica to North America; most of them left Costa Rica through irregular crossings near the central district of Los Chiles. The increase in the number of people in transit has put pressure on local authorities and has made evident the needs of the canton, which is home to 35,000 people while being among the cantons with the highest level of poverty in the country according to the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Policy (MIDEPLAN).