US Plans Funding for Costa Rica Migrant Deportations

The US State Department plans to allocate up to $7.85 million to assist Costa Rica in deporting migrants, drawing from a fund usually aimed at economic aid for allies. This move echoes a 2024 agreement with Panama under the Biden administration, which faced backlash from advocates worried about blocking access to US asylum. Under the …

Nicaragua’s Sandinista Commander Taken Into Custody

Sandinista commander Bayardo Arce, economic adviser to President Daniel Ortega, was jailed on Thursday after the government announced it was investigating him for corruption, according to Nicaraguan media in exile. Arce, 76, fell from grace during an internal purge within the circles of power. According to Nicaraguan opposition figures in exile, this purge is being …

El Salvador poised to allow Bukele unlimited re‑elections

The Salvadoran Congress, which is firmly in the ruling party’s hands, is set to debate constitutional changes that would let presidents run again and again, thereby ensuring the continuity of President Nayib Bukele. The reform would also stretch presidential terms from five to six years. Bukele, who is 44, has been in office since 2019. …

How Costa Rican Women Won the Right to Vote

On July 30, 1950, Costa Rica witnessed a quiet but groundbreaking revolution: for the first time, women voted alongside men, marking a turning point in the country’s democratic history. The occasion was a local plebiscite to determine whether the communities of La Tigra and La Fortuna would remain part of the canton of San Ramón …

Costa Rican Bishop Presents Coffee and Honey to Pope at the Vatican

Monsignor Daniel Blanco, Auxiliary Bishop of San José, Costa Rica, presented Pope Leo XIV with a special gift during the general audience held at the Vatican. The offering consisted of Costa Rican coffee and honey, sourced from small-scale and predominantly women-led producers supported by the Catholic Church. “Coffee and honey were chosen because they are …

Costa Rica Report Uncovers Serious Flaws in Airport Runway

The resurfacing of the runway at Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (AIDOQ), completed this past February, is now under judicial investigation, and at the center of growing controversy over construction quality. The work, carried out by the firm MECO, is facing multiple technical and administrative questions, just months after completion. A new report from the …

Costa Rica President Stays in Office Amid Legal Pressures and Speculation

President Rodrigo Chaves Robles has announced that he will not resign from the Presidency, ending months of speculation fueled by political rumors and legal pressures. The decision comes as the legal deadline nears for government officials to step down if they intend to run in the 2026 legislative elections. Chaves, who has been in office …

From New Jersey Ponds to Costa Rica’s Mud Turtles: A Wildlife Story

In a weird way, stinky turtles have led to my current life as a guy in Costa Rica working in wildlife monitoring. Up until the age of ten I lived in southern New Jersey. The area I grew up in wasn’t exactly a hotspot for species diversity, but it did have a positive feature for …

Costa Rica Pacific Coast Under Warning for Tsunami-Linked Currents

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) has issued a public alert for Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, warning of dangerous ocean currents expected on Wednesday morning, triggered by a tsunami generated by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the eastern coast of Kamchatka, Russia. While the tsunami does not pose a flooding threat to Costa Rica, the CNE …