SAN JOSÉ — Costa Rica agreed to receive up to 25 deported migrants per week from the United States under a new arrangement signed during a visit by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to the country. The deportations will be carried out by DHS.

Under the agreement, Costa Rica will only receive migrants without criminal records and who are not from Latin America or from countries that refuse to take back their citizens. The U.S. government will provide information about individuals it intends to deport to Costa Rica 48 hours before each deportation flight, according to the agreement text. Upon arrival, the Costa Rican government will grant deportees limited legal status on humanitarian grounds.

Mario Zamora, Costa Rica's Minister of Public Security, said the agreement is voluntary and that Costa Rica has discretion over the number of deportees it will accept and their nationalities. "Costa Rica feels obligated to reciprocate at a time when the United States and its immigration services need the humanitarian cooperation of Costa Rican authorities. With financial support from the United States, they will be provided with housing and food on Costa Rican soil. Costa Rican immigration authorities will collaborate with U.S. immigration authorities to carry out all the necessary immigration logistics to guarantee the return of these individuals to their countries," Zamora said.

The Costa Rican government said the arrangement would serve as a temporary safe haven for deportees and help them return to their home countries. The government is expected to meet with U.S. authorities and officials from the International Organization for Migration, a United Nations agency, to determine where deportees will be transferred once they arrive in the country. The IOM is expected to provide assistance to deportees upon their arrival.

An IOM spokesperson said, "Where engaged, our support focuses on providing basic services and helping individuals navigate a limited set of options, including whether to remain, return to their country of origin, or pursue other available pathways."

The new arrangement follows a previous deal last year in which the U.S. government sent roughly 200 deportees to the country. The group of asylum seekers sent under that deal included 81 children from Asia and Africa and was flown to Costa Rica in chains after being denied a chance to request protection in the U.S. In June, the Costa Rican Supreme Court ruled that the government violated the rights of 200 migrants during their detention at a migrant housing facility known as Catem, located six hours from San José.

The U.S. Department of State said in a statement, "Implementing the Trump Administration's immigration policies is a top priority for the Department of State. As Secretary Marco Rubio has said, we remain unwavering in our commitment to end illegal and mass immigration and bolster America's border security."