Investigation of Bus Accident Worrisome
Last week a public bus on the San José to Alajuela route flew off a bridge and landed in the Rio Torres. The driver has now been identified as a Nicaraguan national with a tourist visa to enter Costa Rica. Miraculously only two people were killed on the bus carrying 52 people and the investigation of the incident has turned up troubling questions about the driver.
The bridge fell a distance of 60 meters from the highway General Cañas, and rescue workers experienced considerable delay in reaching the victims due to the geography of the area. Many were injured due to the distance of the fall, mass and speed of the bus. According to the bus driver the accident occurred when a truck in front of the bus braked suddenly.
Details about the driver, Jairo Rodríguez Tellez read like a laundry list of typical immigration tricks used frequently by Latin American immigrants who seek to work or remain illegally in Costa Rica.
First, according to La Extra Rodríguez applied for Permanent Residency in February of this year, however his application was denied as it lacked a birth certificate and police record.
According to a report in La Nacion, the 48 year old Rodríguez is qualified for Legal Residency because his mother is a permanent resident. Nicaraguans in particular often attempt to formalize their status in Costa Rica through a diverse web of family connections that start when one family member gives birth to a child within the boundaries of Costa Rica.
Applying for residency with insufficient documentation is a tactic used frequently to remain in the country after entering illegally or with a tourist visa. The new immigration law eliminates this loop hole as the police may deport people with pending residency applications. Rodríguez last entered the country in July, however received just a 30 day visa that was apparently expired at the time of the bus accident.
Often immigrants from poor countries like Nicaragua do indeed qualify for residency, however can not understand the document requirements or are unable to pay between $300 and $500 in fees associated with the application. Residency applicants, however not allowed to work while their application is in process.
Perhaps the most distrubing aspect of the case is that according to La Nacion the bus company did not realize they had an employee who lacked legal status and the proper drivers license to operate a bus of that size. The bus company, Tusasa provided the resident cedula number of another Nicaraguan national. Further investigation reveals that cedula expired in 2005.
The revelations about the bus driver come at difficult time for Costa Rica, which is dealing with a major change to immigration policy and serious concerns about Citizen Security.
Did You Enjoy This Article? Subscribe by Email to Updates
Filed Under: Local News
