The Secretary of the Pastoral Care of Human Mobility of Costa Rica calls on society and the authorities and institutions of the Government to assume the situation of migrants from the perspective of human rights

Monsignor Daniel Blanco Méndez, auxiliary bishop of San José de Costa Rica, executive secretary of the Pastoral Care of Human Mobility, wrote on the occasion of World Migrant and Refugee Day, which was celebrated on Sunday, September 25:

“We cannot be indifferent to a possible humanitarian crisis if we do not fully address what is happening in our country. Added to the already complex situation of Nicaraguan migration is that of groups from other parts of the continent, among which the situation of Venezuelans is critical; but also from other parts of the world that use our country as a transit territory to the United States”

God's project is essentially inclusive

The bishop, as reported by Fides Agency, cites the message of the Holy Father Francis for this occasion and affirms that the construction of the future is a task in which we must all participate, "because God's project is essentially inclusive and places in the center to the inhabitants of the existential peripheries, among whom there are many migrants and refugees, displaced persons and victims of trafficking”.

From January 1 to August 31 of this year, Panama registered the passage of 102,067 people who moved to Costa Rica, recalls Monsignor Daniel Blanco Méndez:

“The causes that, regardless of the country of origin, force their displacement are diverse: political persecution, insecurity and violence, exclusion and poverty, including the climate crisis and environmental disasters”

And he adds that many are "exposed to being victims of human trafficking, traffickers who abuse them, common crime and even the authorities."

The bishop stresses that, despite all these obvious aspects, we have not yet become aware of their scope and critical nature. The concentration of these groups is observed in various localities: the southern zone, the city of San José, Ciudad Quesada, Los Chiles, Upala and La Cruz, but there is also a growing presence, practically, in all the dioceses of Costa Rica in conditions of risk and abandonment.

“It is likely that a large number of these people cannot continue on their way and must remain involuntarily and indefinitely in Costa Rica, many because they ran out of money or do not have the means to overcome the obstacles derived from the closure of borders that prevent them from enter and transit through other neighboring countries”

The Church's response

In his conclusion, Monsignor Daniel Blanco Méndez reiterates that the Church's response must always be to provide resources and response capacity to this human drama, organizing humanitarian aid. "We make a call to Costa Rican society and in a special and respectful way to the authorities of the Government of the Republic and to the institutions - concludes the bishop - so that we assume this situation from a human rights perspective and, therefore, we urge them to that the necessary resources are available to ensure their passage and stay in our country in a dignified manner.”