Costa Rica News – Despite the possibility of a removal of barriers announced early last week, on Friday Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega said the “border wall” against migrants will continue.
Ortega said the policy of barring migrants from entering their country is part of its continuing battle against organized crime, drug trafficking and human trafficking.
Almost 3,000 African migrants are in Costa Rica looking to move north, to reach their final destination, the United States.
Costa Rican officials report that more than 3,000 migrants left Costa Rica since April, presumably through Nicaragua despite the border closed to them. Earlier this month 10 migrants were found drowned in lake Nicaragua.
The flow of migrants, Africans and Haitains pretending to be Africans, are pouring uncontrollably into Costa Rica from Panama, Colombia and other countries in South America.
Last October, Nicaragua closed its borders to more than 8,000 Cuban migrants generating conflict in the Central American countries, forcing Costa Rica to find a solution, that came when Mexico relented and allowed a direct airlift, the Cubans then able to cross into the U.S.
In Nicaragua, the U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua, Laura Dogu, said that Nicaragua was a right guard its borders, just in the same way the U.S guards its borders. “That is a political decision and not a decision of the Embassy here in Nicaragua, Nicaragua has the right to guard its borders,” said Dogu.
With the Nicaragua border remaining closed to the migrants, Costa Rica continues forced to endure the cost of providing shelter and health services.
From QCostaRica