Costa Rica Confirms 77 Citizens in ICE Detention

COSTA RICA · MIGRATION

Costa Rica says 77 of its citizens are held by US immigration authorities, ten more than a university database showed in August.

The number of Costa Ricans in ICE detention stands at 77, Costa Rica’s Foreign Ministry told the daily La Nación. The paper published the figure on Tuesday, 6 October, and the ministry said the total changes constantly.

ICE, short for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, holds non-citizens while their removal cases move forward. The count shows how the Trump administration’s detention push reaches citizens of a close Central American ally.

What the Foreign Ministry Said

The ministry, known locally as the Casa Amarilla after its yellow headquarters in San José, answered questions from La Nación. It said all cases that reach its consulates are attended to and monitored, usually at the request of the detainee or relatives.

It also warned that detainees may choose not to contact a consulate or share details, so some cases never reach it. Its consulates, it said, regularly ask US authorities whether each person will be released or deported.

Asked whether long detentions are justified, the ministry cited international norms. Migration and court proceedings, it said, are a sovereign matter for each country.

A Count That Keeps Moving

On Wednesday, 5 August, data checked by La Nación showed 67 Costa Ricans held in ICE facilities. One of them had been detained for at least 765 days, more than two years.

That data comes from the Deportation Data Project, a research effort at UC Berkeley and UCLA. It obtains US immigration enforcement records through public-records lawsuits and publishes them.

The ministry’s figure of 77 Costa Ricans in ICE detention is ten higher, a rise of about 15 percent. La Nación said the ministry supplied it about six weeks after the August data.

For scale, TRAC, a data project at Syracuse University, counted 65,765 people in ICE detention on 11 July. On that basis, Costa Ricans make up only about 0.1 percent of all detainees.

One Case Behind the Question

La Nación’s questions began with a 49-year-old Costa Rican detained by ICE in Buffalo, New York, in April 2025. Nearly 18 months later, he remains in custody.

The ministry said its consulate general in Los Angeles has assisted him, including by monitoring his health with US authorities. It said he has not been deported because an appeal in his migration case is still pending.

A Government Closely Aligned With Washington

President Laura Fernández, of the conservative Pueblo Soberano (Sovereign People) party, took office on Friday, 8 May. Her party holds 31 of the 57 seats in the Legislative Assembly.

Her predecessor, Rodrigo Chaves, sits in her cabinet, and the government promises a hard line on crime. It has also aligned closely with the Trump administration and cut diplomatic ties with Cuba.

In March, Costa Rica agreed to accept up to 25 deportees a week from the United States, La Nación reported. Fernández, then president-elect, said deportees would have no criminal records and Washington would pay for their housing via the UN migration agency.

That alignment was tested at home in September. A 37-year-old Costa Rican died in ICE custody in Louisiana on Friday, 18 September, Teletica and Delfino.cr reported.

On Monday, 21 September, lawmakers voted 29 to 24 against a minute of silence for the man, Delfino.cr reported. A Pueblo Soberano lawmaker said the motion was really aimed at questioning US migration policy.

What It Means for You

For Costa Rican families in the United States, the ministry’s advice is to contact a consulate early. It can only monitor cases that detainees or relatives report.

For US policy watchers, Costa Rica shows the limits of friendly ties. A government that backs Washington still faces questions at home when its citizens spend months in detention.

For travellers and investors, nothing changes. The detentions involve Costa Ricans living in the United States, not visitors to Costa Rica.

What Is Not Known

The ministry did not say on what date it counted the 77 Costa Ricans in ICE detention. Nor did it say how many its consulates have reached.

It gave no figure for Costa Ricans deported from the United States so far this year. The official cause of the September death has not been published; local reports cited cardiac arrest, with an autopsy pending.

What Comes Next

A new foreign minister, career diplomat Ana Elena Pinto, takes over the ministry on Thursday, 15 October, El Financiero reported. Consular follow-up of detained Costa Ricans will be among the files on her desk.

The count does not mean Costa Ricans are being singled out. It reflects a very large US detention system in which they are a small share.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ICE?

ICE is US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency that arrests and detains non-citizens facing deportation. It runs or contracts detention centres across the United States.

How many Costa Ricans are in ICE detention?

Costa Rica’s Foreign Ministry put the number at 77, La Nación reported on 6 October 2026. A university database showed 67 on 5 August.

Does Costa Rica accept deportees from the United States?

Under a March 2026 deal, it agreed to accept up to 25 deportees a week. Its president has said they would have no criminal records.

Who is Laura Fernández?

She is Costa Rica’s conservative president, in office since 8 May 2026. Her Pueblo Soberano party holds 31 of the 57 seats in the Legislative Assembly.

Sources: La Nación, Foreign Ministry figures (6 October 2026); Deportation Data Project, UC Berkeley and UCLA; TRAC, Syracuse University; La Nación, deportee agreement (24 March 2026); Delfino.cr; Teletica; Semanario Universidad; El Financiero (all accessed 7 October 2026).