Immigration to Costa Rica Mary Murphy Grad Student International Studies

Immigrants to Costa Rica Latin America: Percentage of migrants by country, 2010-2011 Receiving country Highest percent of immigrants in Latin America 9% of Population – 2012 census Jus Soli – place of birth citizenship

Top 10 Countries of Origin

Colonial Immigrants European Immigrants Myth of an Uninhabited Land Myth of Whiteness Active recruitment of European settlers to populate the country – “desirable” immigrants because of perceived cultural similarities Europeans settled in urban areas – worked in handicrafts and commence Strong need for labor in agriculture - Nicaraguans, Jamaicans, and Panamanians – considered “necessary undesirables”

Historical Immigration Policies Late 1800s early 1900s Costa Rica actively excluded Chinese, Arabs, Turks, Armenians, Africans 1920s agriculture boom and need for labor – increased migration from Central America and the Caribbean 1930s economic crisis and crackdown on undocumented immigrants - mass deportation of black laborers 1940s increased use of Nicaraguan workers in agriculture – increased discrimination and xenophobia 1950s post WWII resettlement of European immigrants 1970s/80s/90s refugees fleeing political and social violence

Nicaraguan Immigrants 1980s immigrants and refugees forced out of Nicaragua due to the Contra War Estimated more than 500,000 migrants entered CR CR provided refugee status, but cracked down on undocumented immigration Barriers in housing, education, and health care and migrants live in run-down neighborhoods Work in agriculture and are fundamental to the economic development of CR, more recently moving to urban centers Source: Migration Policy Institute, Business as Usual? Regularizing Foreign Labor in Costa Rica

Distribution at the District Level of the Nicaraguan Population Source: Migration Policy Institute, Business as Usual? Regularizing Foreign Labor in Costa Rica

Regional Migrants South-South migration Costa Rica is economically, politically, and socially stable - draws economic migrants Currently hosting migrants from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala escaping violence

Amenity Migrants North-South Migration US, Canada, Europe, Australia Tourists/Retirees – seeking amenities such as mild climate, intercultural experiences, inexpensive lifestyle, natural beauty Permanent, seasonal, or circular Significant source of direct foreign investment

Irregular Migrants South-South, South-North Africans, Haitians, Asians, Cubans More than 26,000 migrants in 2016 Bottlenecked in CR because Nicaragua closed border late 2015 Many trying to get to the United States Living in refugee camps on Northern and Southern border https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rON3OQcj WI Source: Tico Times, Migrants from Africa, Asia and Haiti at a makeshift camp near the Peñas Blancas border crossing on July 12, 2016

Final Thoughts Deeply embedded xenophobia and racism cause ethnic tensions Policy shift towards integration instead of enforcement Still a developing country, increased immigration may have a negative impacts economically, socially, and politically Source: The Tico Times, A mural painted by Cuban migrants staying at a shelter in the town of La Cruz, Guanacaste, near the border with Nicaragua.

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