President signals openness to US operations in Costa Rica

Costa Rican President Laura Fernandez said US military operations in the country could benefit national security if they targeted transnational crime, drug trafficking or terrorism. She stressed that any such operation would require approval from Costa Rica’s national legislature and said no plans are currently in place for US forces to operate there.

Security pressure shapes the debate

Fernandez took office in May after succeeding former President Rodrigo Chaves. Security and rising violence were prominent issues in the February election, and Fernandez campaigned on a tough-on-crime platform.

Costa Rica’s homicide rate reached 17.2 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, double its level a decade earlier. The increase has been partly attributed to growing drug-trafficking activity, although the country’s average remains below those of many other countries in the region.

Regional cooperation has raised rights concerns

Fernandez has said she is not currently considering a state of emergency. Such declarations typically suspend certain constitutional rights while giving police or military forces additional powers, and critics say they are intended to be temporary. El Salvador has maintained an emergency declaration since 2022, extending it dozens of times.

The United States has encouraged a military-led response to crime across Latin America through the Shield of the Americas, also known as the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition. US forces have recently conducted operations with Ecuador’s government, where armed forces have faced accusations including torture and enforced disappearance.

A July Human Rights Watch report warned that the US-Ecuador security relationship had already produced serious consequences. It cited reports of attacks on Ecuadorian fishermen and the alleged detention and torture of four Colombian farm workers during a raid near the border carried out with US support. Ecuadorian voters rejected a referendum last year that would have allowed foreign countries to establish military bases there.