This measure is intended to release extraordinary financial resources to deal with the crisis, said President Rodrigo Chaves on Tuesday (local time). Since January, more than 386,000 migrants have crossed the border from Panama to Costa Rica.

“We all know that there is a migration crisis across the American continent,” Chaves said. Central American Costa Rica is primarily a transit country. In September alone, more than 60,000 refugees arrived in the border town of Paso Canoas, which corresponds to three times the population. Security on migration routes should also be increased.

Recently, Panama and Mexico also announced measures in view of the high number of migrants. In Mexico, the last stop before the US border, the National Guard, among others, has increased controls to prevent migrants from boarding freight trains as stowaways. In addition to migrants from Central America, more and more people from Venezuela, Haiti and Cuba, but also from Africa and Asia, are making their way to the USA. People are fleeing poverty, violence and political crises in their home countries.