U.S. Deports Elderly Irish National to Costa Rica Under Controversial New Agreement, Human Rights Groups Condemn Move

An elderly Irishman was deported to Costa Rica by the administration of President Donald Trump as part of a controversial deal between the two countries.

According to Irish Star, the man arrived in the country on Friday, April 17, 2026, as part of a group of 22 deportees. This was a result of the administration's mass deportation policy, which also included those of the Irish nationals ever since he returned to the White House last year.

According to reports, U.S. deportations of Irish nationals rose from 15 in 2024 to 65 in 2025. To further accelerate the process, the U.S. has also sent deportees to countries with which they have no established ties, according to human rights groups.

Shannon Airport in County Clare, Ireland, has mainly been used as a refueling stop. Costa Rica's General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners has reportedly stated that the Irishman had arrived in the country with three Romanians, eight Brazilians, two Chinese, three Uzbeks, one Indian, one Belarusian, one Vietnamese, and two Azerbaijanis.

The DGME described the Irishman as “elderly” and revealed that one of the Romanian deportees was a minor. In a statement translated from Spanish, the DGME said, “Once their immigration control is completed, they are given primary care, which consists of explaining the process to them through translators, and together with the Red Cross, verifying that they are in good health.”

However, there is still an opportunity for relief for the man as the officials revealed that he will be offered help to be able to return to Ireland through a program managed by the International Organization for Migration.

The Irishman would also have an option to apply to remain in Costa Rica on humanitarian grounds. Reports reveal that the man was a part of the second group of foreign nationals who were deported to the nation under an agreement between the U.S. and Costa Rica.

This agreement was signed by the country’s president-elect Laura Fernández Delgado in March 2026. Under the deal, approximately 25 people will be deported from the U.S. to Costa Rica each week.

The arrangement has faced substantial opposition from human rights organizations. It has been condemned by human rights groups. The United States has been utilizing Shannon Airport to carry forward with its deportation operations.

Human Rights First and Amnesty International co-signed a letter to the Irish government stating, “These operations took people to South Sudan, Eswatini, Rwanda and Israel, and have included third-country removals where individuals are forcibly taken to countries where they have no connection.”

The letter also strongly called for the end to the usage of the Shannon Airport “as a refuelling stopover for unlawful removal flights by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement."

Human rights groups have accused the U.S. government of breaching international law and striking agreements with authoritarian leaders.

Executive director of Amnesty International Ireland, Stephen Bowen said in a statement, “The Irish Government decides how its sovereign airspace and territory is used by other states. It must play no role whatsoever in the United States’ inhuman, cruel, and extreme mass immigration detention and removal machine."