Costa Rica becomes host country to thousands of migrants

Topic:

       

This article is about how the country of Costa Rica is handling the arrival of large numbers of migrants.

         
          

Before reading:

         

General Knowledge:

• Can you find the country of Costa Rica on a map? What do you know about this country?
• What have you heard about immigration in the news recently? Which countries are dealing with an influx of immigrants, and why? Which countries do large numbers of immigrants come from, and why?
• What does "deportation" mean?

           

Speculate:

• Costa Rica has recently become the host to tens of thousands of migrants from all around the world, but authorities are not focused on sending them back to their home countries. Why might deportation not be the solution they choose?

        

        

Click on the embedded link below to read the article, see photos, and listen to or download the audio file on the NPR website. Word count: 747

         

After reading:

          

Review and discuss:

• Write a 3-4 sentence summary of this article. Begin your summary with "This article is about…".
• Costa Rican authorities say that deporting the migrants back to their home countries is not the right decision "morally". Why might they feel this way?
• Some officials believe that many of the migrants who say they are from Congo may actually be Haitian. Why might Haitian people need to lie about the country they come from? Why might they say they are from Congo, specifically?
• Why might the US government be so eager to help Costa Rica?
• Choose a side, and write your opinion. Do you think A) Costa Rica should continue to support the migrants as they arrive, or B) the government should focus less on supporting the migrants and pay more attention to Costa Rican citizens who need help? Support your choice with 3 reasons.
• In your opinion, what was the most interesting thing mentioned in this article? Why?

          

Reflect and evaluate:

• Compare Costa Rica with your own country. Are attitudes about immigration similar or different? Explain. What could your country learn from Costa Rica's example?
• Immigration has been a hot—and sometimes controversial—topic in the US recently, and this article about immigration was posted on an American news website. Why might this article be meaningful to Americans now?
• Is there anything else you'd like to know about this topic? Do you have any questions that weren't answered in the article?
• What vocabulary words were new to you in this article? Make a record of what you have learned.

          

          

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