The national authorities are running to find the funds to purchase a security system that would strengthen the border.
The software is valued at $8 million and, in the words of the national authorities, it is extremely urgent for the country to purchase it.
This is the kind of technology we have to buy. Migration has already been ordered to do whatever it takes to have that and global safety standards,”
said Minister Gustavo Mata.
The hierarch emphasized that while investing in security is expensive, the possibility of being integrated to different international databases comes along with said investment.
The platform is called Afis and it detects if passports are official or not.
Since mid-May, Minister Mata has presented the guideline to expel or reject foreigners with a judicial record and can be dangerous for the country.
Esteban Obando, Deputy Director of Migration, said that greater coordination has been achieved with institutions such as the Intelligence and Security Directorate (DIS), Costa Rican Drug Institute (ICD), and the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ).
For example, in 15 days, 17 people were processed in the refusal and expulsion direction. The subjects are from countries like Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Peru, Sweden, Nicaragua, United States, Honduras and Canada.
Some of the most relevant cases are a Mexican man named Álvarez, who -according to the New York Times- went from having a small restaurant to owning properties in New York, traveling in a private jet and being a manager of a multi-million dollar financial consulting firm; and a Spanish national named Arceiz, who had more than 23 pending cases with Spanish justice, including investigations for fraud and homicide.
Both men had been in the country on different occasions. Álvarez visited for short periods, while Arceiz lived here since 2013.