Costa Rica - This week 184 Cuban migrants who have been stranded in Costa Rica since November 14, departed the country as regular migrants in the first of a series of bi-weekly flights.

They had been living in shelters provided by the Government and communities in northern Costa Rica until their departure on 04/02.

With the help of IOM, which is providing technical support, the governments of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico aim to increase the frequency of these flights to provide a speedy solution to the Cuban migration emergency in Costa Rica.

This first in what will be a series of flights left Costa Rica for Mexico via El Salvador and Guatemala on January 12 with 180 Cuban migrants on board.

The Cubans in this flight were families with children, many of whom have been hosted by Costa Rican families. "I feel very happy (to continue travelling), but at the same time very sad because I´m leaving behind a ‘Tica’ (Costa Rican) family that received me, my husband and my daughter with a lot of love," said Yalila Morales, minutes before boarding the plane. "I learned a lot of Costa Rican dishes, but more importantly, a lot of human values," she added.

Marcos Echavarría, Yalia´s husband, remembers how hard the journey to Costa Rica was. "We crossed from Colombia to Panamá in a boat with 21 other migrants. The boat kept on crashing against big waves, and with each one it sounded like the boat was going to break up. It was so terrible that I had to ask myself whether I would be able to save my wife or my daughter if we sank. We knew it was a dangerous trip, but it is one thing to hear about The Beast, and another thing to see it coming."

This latest flight was possible thanks to an agreement among the governments of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico, with the IOM acting in an advisory role to identify options for the dignified, safe, orderly departure of Cuban migrants in Costa Rica with transit visas. 

The migrants paid for their trips organized by a travel agency. This self-paying option reduces incentives for irregular migration and undermines criminal human trafficking and smuggling networks by creating a legal and more affordable alternative to smugglers. 

“Cuban migrants have also received reliable information on transportation options in Mexico, as well as migrant shelters and techniques to avoid traffickers and risks associated with migration," said Roeland de Wilde, IOM Costa Rica Chief of Mission.
IOM is also the lead agency in UN efforts to support the Government of Costa Rica with humanitarian assistance to Cubans still stranded in the country in 37 shelters.

For further information please contact Roeland de Wilde, IOM Costa Rica Chief of Mission at Tel +506 22125300 Email: rdewilde@iom.int or Jorge Gallo, Regional Media and Communications Officer at Tel +506 22125300, Email:  jgallo@iom.int