Gestión Pública del Gobierno de Costa Rica ante el Tráfico Ilícito de Migrantes

The article has examined the management of the public administration in Costa Rica in relation to incidents of illegal trafficking in persons that have become increasingly aggravated due to the geographical environment between regions for trafficking to occur. The text states that illegal trafficking has become a lucrative but deadly business in which highly organized networks are compromising the lives and dignity of people on the move. Based on a mixed-method research design that provides binary deduction from evidence composed of interviews with experts plus a questionnaire applied to officials of the General Directorate of Migration and Aliens, it has been suggested that current migration policies – and especially before the migration guidelines and Law 8764 – have a negative impact on the investigation and prosecution of migrant smuggling. The expert consultation highlighted the shortcomings of inter-agency coordination, the lack of specific implementation and the weakness in the effective protection of the human rights of migrants. Overall, humanitarian assistance mechanisms function relatively well, but they face significant challenges, such as inadequate funding, legal inconsistencies and the urgent need for further training of staff. The article concludes with recommendations that indicate that Costa Rica should strengthen its legal framework with a better operational capacity in compliance with international human rights standards, so that migration management efficiently combats migrant smuggling and guarantees comprehensive protection for people on the move. Among these priorities is the call for a more energetic state response in the context of the increasing sophistication exhibited by the criminal networks involved in these crimes.