The morning Monday June 25th, the offices of the General Directorate of Migration in Costa Rica were abnormally crowded by Nicaraguans waiting to request refuge status.

The government insists that the majority of the requests are coming from Nicaraguans that already reside in Costa Rica, however, the number of requests this Monday was of over 1,200 by 10 a.m., exceeding the normal average of 1000 a week.

Migratory Authorities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained last week that 9 out of 10 requests for refuge were being rejected since they didn’t gather the necessary conditions to qualify for the status.

“Those who are requesting the condition of refugee must be people that have a founded and proved fear for their lives and can demonstrate their lives are in danger in their native country”, commented last week the Director of Migration, Raquel Vargas.

The Ministry of Public Security and Migration Authorities assure that there is no migratory crisis.
Yesterday, Migration Police in Costa Rica intercepted a bus transporting 80 Nicaraguans with irregular migratory status.