Costa Rica close to signing agreement with U.S. to repatriate migrants heading north, official says

Costa Rica and the United States are close to finalizing a voluntary repatriation agreement for migrants, modeled after a similar deal between the Biden administration and Panama signed earlier this month.

Costa Rican Foreign Minister Arnoldo André confirmed the negotiations, adding that the initiative emerged during his visit to the U.S., which included a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on July 17, CNN reported.

"A migration agreement with the U.S. is being considered. We'd like to see how Panama's experience evolves."

André added that the agenda between both countries includes "ongoing joint efforts to ensure safe and humane migration management in the region," highlighting the importance of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, a document signed between Joe Biden and 20 regional leaders back in June 2022 committing to improve national, regional, and hemispheric efforts to facilitate safe, orderly, humane, and regular migration.

It is within this framework that Panama signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the United States on July 1 which focuses on migration assistance and cooperation, aiming to reduce the flow of irregular migrants through the Darién Gap, a treacherous jungle path on the border with Colombia and used by thousands of migrants on their journey up north.

The MOU also lays out that the Biden administration committed to covering the repatriation costs of migrants apprehended while crossing the Darién Gap. However, last week, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino made sure to clarify the reach of the agreement during his first press conference, minimizing his country's overall involvement and explaining that migrants will only be repatriated "if they agree":

"If migrants don't want to return to their countries then they'll go (to the U.S.). I can't arrest them, we can't forcibly repatriate them."

Mulino also went on to say that "this is a United States problem that we are managing" and that "People don't want to live here in Panama; they want to go to the United States."