Context
The majority of refugees and migrants in Costa Rica are in transit northbound with the U.S. as their intended destination. Most use irregular routes as they cannot meet visa and entry requirements enacted by countries of transit and destination. The end of the COVID-19 pandemic era policy in the U.S. (Title 42) in May 2023 resulted in a temporary decrease in irregular movements northbound due to uncertainty around the impacts of this policy change. However, as of July 2023, northbound movements increased and are expected to continue to be significant in 2024.
More than 520,000 refugees and migrants irregularly crossed the Darien jungle between Colombia and Panama in 2023, including over 1,300 unaccompanied and separated children. This represents more than double the number of crossings in 2022. Over 500 pregnant women also reportedly crossed the Darien jungle in 2023.
On 29 September 2023, the Government of Costa Rica declared a state of emergency in response to the unprecedented movements of refugees and migrants transiting through its country. Subsequently, on 10 October 2023, the governments of Panama and Costa Rica agreed to allow private bus companies to transport refugees and migrants from temporary reception stations in the Darien (Panama) to the South migration station (EMISUR, by its acronym in Spanish) in Paso Canoas. In December 2023, Costa Rica took over the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Quito Process – a government-led coordination body with the objective of coordinating a regional response to mixed movements among governments in the Latin America and Caribbean region.
With regard to Venezuelans in-destination, as of July 2023, Costa Rica hosts 29,400 refugees and migrants from Venezuela. The R4V estimates this number to reach 31,200 by the end of 2024. In December 2022, the Government of Costa Rica announced significant changes to the asylum process, including increased restrictions for asylum applicants to work in the country, impacting their ability to meet their basic needs. Meanwhile, in March 2023, the government launched a new two-year, renewable special temporary category for those who have either been denied asylum or had a pending asylum application as of September 2022 (as of December 2022, there were over 20,000 pending or denied asylum applications from Venezuelans in Costa Rica). As of early February 2024, 8,100 people (37 per cent of whom are Venezuelans) had been approved for the new special temporary category. The application period for this category ended on 29 February 2024, and there has been no announcement as of March 2024 of its potential extension. While these measures will facilitate greater access to regular status for some refugees and migrants from Venezuela, those who have arrived more recently – and new arrivals in 2024 – will not have access to these temporary protection measures.