What is the origin of the thousands of extra-continental migrants in Costa Rica? The most common answer is “Africa”.
However, according to the regional director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Marcelo Pisano, the thousands of migrants who are crossing the Atlantic Ocean towards America are from more than 50 countries.
Every day, hundreds of citizens from at least 24 African nations and 28 Asian ones, leave their homes with their own resources or guided by human traffickers to escape poverty, religious or political persecution and war.
A study by the IOM and Mexican authorities shows that Somalia, Ghana and Eritrea are the three African nations that export more migrants to America; whereas most Asian migrants come from Bangladesh, India and Nepal.
Pisano’s advice is to give basic care to migrants, because they usually arrive with poor health conditions. The director also acknowledged that it is difficult to send them home and that many won’t reach the final destination.
Therefore, Pisano proposes to regulate migration instead of making it illegal, to reduce the risks. The director added every nation must learn to manage and govern migration and coordinate with regional entities.