Record number of Nicaraguans sought asylum in Costa Rica in 2021
January 08, 2022 / 9:14 AM
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Nicaraguan migrants await authorization to cross the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua in Penas Blancas, Costa Rica - Archived
Sharjah24 – Reuters: A record number of Nicaraguans sought refuge in neighboring Costa Rica in 2021, Costa Rican immigration authorities said on Friday, amid a widespread political crackdown against opponents of longtime Nicaraguan leader President Daniel Ortega.
Costa Rica received 53,000 refugee applications from Nicaraguans in 2021, particularly in the months ahead of the elections in November, when Ortega clinched a fourth consecutive term after jailing political rivals.
"It is the largest number of refugee applications (of Nicaraguans) that we have received in history," Daguer Hernandez, the deputy director of Costa Rica's migration agency said. "It's certainly close to the numbers received during the 1980s war, but we don't have records of that," he continued. The Nicaraguan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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