Overview
- The newspaper La Nación said five of its seven board members lost U.S. tourist visas without an official reason, naming board president Pedro Abreu Jiménez and director Carmen Montero Luthmer among those affected.
- The U.S. Embassy in San José declined to discuss individual cases and cited section 222(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which keeps visa records confidential.
- Costa Rican press and free-expression groups asked their government to seek answers from Washington, and the Inter American Press Association called the move unprecedented and warned that secrecy can chill reporting.
- La Nación and other outlets tie the step to a broader pattern since 2025 that has included revocations for critics of President Rodrigo Chaves, among them former president Óscar Arias and constitutional magistrates.
- The paper said details of the cancellations appeared first in outlets seen as close to the presidency before those affected were told, raising worries about political targeting and about travel limits that could hinder media leaders’ work and future U.S.–Costa Rica ties as a new administration takes office.