A recently released Human Rights Watch report details the expulsion of third-country nationals from the United States to Costa Rica in late February. Out of the 200 third-country nationals the Trump administration expelled, two were pregnant women and 81 were children. Prior to their expulsion, they all were detained in inhumane conditions with many reporting that they were treated poorly by US authorities. For example, many facilities did not uphold hygienic standards as many women on their period were denied the opportunity to wash themselves when changing their sanitary pads. Other women reported that guards required to see their dirty sanitary pads before they could provide them with a new pad. The report goes on to document the struggles of these expulsed persons extended stay in Costa Rica with some making the difficult decision of returning to their country of origin.
Compiled from: “Their Strategy Is to Break Us,’ The U.S. Expulsion of Third-Country Nationals to Costa Rica,” Human Rights Watch, May 22, 2025.