600 US-bound Africans stranded in Costa Rica after officials block route
Source: The Guardian
600 US-bound Africans stranded in Costa Rica after officials block route
Blocked migration route has led to a buildup of people in town of
Paso Canoas, where migrants are now sleeping rough in a makeshift
detention camp
Patrick Kingsley, Migration correspondent and Lindsay Fendt in San José
Friday 22 April 2016 21.30 BST
About 600 US-bound Africans are stranded in Costa Rica after officials blocked a major migration route to America, leading local aid workers to warn of a humanitarian crisis if their number continues to rise.
African and Latin American migrants have long passed through Costa Rica on their way to the US, but their passage has been blocked by the authorities in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, the next country on the route north.
This has led to a buildup of people in the border town of Paso Canoas, where they are now sleeping rough in a makeshift detention camp.
NEWMontserrat Solano, Costa Ricas human rights ombudsman told The Guardian that officials were unsure where the migrants were from. They claim they are Africans and some of them definitely are, but it is unclear which country they come from. They dont have papers and many are not very forthcoming about where they came from.
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Read more:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/22/600-us-bound-africans-stranded-costa-rica-block-migration-route