The form forces some of the 200 citizens transferred to the Central American nation who remain in the country to choose between voluntarily returning to their countries or submitting to refugee status in Costa Rica, despite the opposition of human rights organizations, reported the Teletica.com channel.

According to the new official measure, immigrants detained in the so-called Temporary Care Center for Migrants who decide not to remain there must return to their countries of origin, despite the fact that many of them fear for their safety and their lives if they return to countries like Afghanistan.

“They are in transit; so far, there is no visa that allows them free transit. We are offering them options such as refugee status or humanitarian status, and that would allow them to move freely throughout the country,” explained Omer Badilla, Director General of Migration.

For their part, humanitarian organizations such as the Ombudsman’s Office, the Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture, and sectors within the Legislative Assembly believe that these refugees sent by the United States should be subject to other humanitarian screening and treatment.

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