Russian family deported from US to Costa Rica remain in legal limbo

Almost a year after Donald Trump strong-armed a deal with Costa Rica to receive 200 people deported from the United States, a Russian man, his wife and their young son remain in Costa Rica in legal limbo and are fighting for compensation, the Guardian reports. The family were among asylum seekers flown to Costa Rica in chains last February, people the report says were not criminals and came from about 20 other countries, chiefly parts of Asia and Africa, including 81 children.

They had tried to request refuge at the US–Mexico border but were removed from US soil after the report says the asylum system was effectively closed when Trump returned to the White House; the administration sent some migrants to third countries, including Costa Rica, amid difficulties deporting them to their native states.

The man, identified in the report as Alexander, told the Guardian he left Russia after alleging electoral irregularities and feared returning, including being sent to the frontline in Ukraine. The family say they secured a US asylum appointment that was cancelled after Trump’s inauguration, crossed the border to request help, were detained in the US and then flown involuntarily to Costa Rica.

Key Topics

Politics, Trump Administration, Costa Rica, Catem, Otay Mesa, Cbpone