Rachel Schmidtke

The U.S. is abandoning a crisis response in our own hemisphere and undoing nearly a decade of progress.

Estados Unidos está abandonando una respuesta a la crisis en nuestro propio hemisferio y deshaciendo casi una década de progreso.

This agreement outsources the Trump administration’s cruel immigration enforcement to other countries and is a misuse of U.S. funding.

The decision should serve as a warning to the Costa Rican government not to collaborate with the United States on deportation deals that will violate the human rights of migrants.

El gobierno de Costa Rica participó voluntariamente en una serie de violaciones de derechos humanos contra personas migrantes expulsadas por Washington.

In just four months, the Trump administration has dismantled this protection infrastructure and pressured Costa Rica into violating the rights of refugees – while simultaneously increasing the migration pressures.

Instead of protecting people seeking asylum, U.S. officials whisked them away in an attempt to place them beyond U.S. law and courts.

With the U.S. posturing as a regional bully, countries across the region must work together to share responsibility and protect and support people seeking safety.

Humanitarian needs along the Darien Gap will remain high as migration through the gap continues. Panama and Costa Rica are in a unique position to meet these needs.

Refugees International's interviews with migrants suggest that any effect of U.S. policy on border crossings is, at best, temporarily keeping them away but not reducing their overall numbers.