The former president of Costa Rica, who criticized the foreign policy of the second administration of Donald Trump in the United States, has received a notice of visa cancellation.
On the 1st (local time), according to local media, former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias held a press conference at his residence in San José, stating, "I recently received notice that my U.S. visa has been canceled," and added, "The Trump administration unfortunately exhibits characteristics of a dictatorship."
Arias noted, "I don’t have any travel plans to the U.S. anyway, so this doesn’t affect me at all," and added, "I do not know the reason for the cancellation, and it does not seem that the Costa Rican government was involved."
Local media speculated that Arias's recent comments targeting President Trump may have influenced the visa cancellation.
Arias, who governed Costa Rica during two terms from 1986 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2010, strongly criticized President Trump last month for branding the current government's diplomatic strategy towards the U.S. as "submissive" while weaponizing tariffs to send shockwaves through the international community.
He wrote on his Facebook, "It is never easy for a small country to express a different opinion from the U.S. government, especially when the U.S. president gives orders as if acting like an emperor of Rome," and added, "When I was in power, Costa Rica was not a 'banana republic.'" The term 'banana republic' is derogatively used to refer to politically unstable countries in Latin America that depend mainly on primary industries and are influenced by international capital.
Arias also stated, "The U.S. is a country that seeks enemies, and today that enemy is China," and added, "The U.S. justifies increasing military spending under the pretense of China."
At that time, former President Arias reportedly made these critical comments during the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is an architect of the foreign and security policy of the second Trump administration.
The Costa Rican government expressed its intention to accept immigrants from third countries who were expelled from the U.S. after Minister Rubio's return.
Arias received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his efforts in achieving a regional peace agreement, opposing the movements of great powers such as the U.S. that hinted at the possibility of 'military support' as a solution to the Central American crisis during the turmoil of the civil war in the 1980s.
After leaving the presidency, he established a peace foundation named after himself, promoting disarmament initiatives and exerting influence in the local political scene. In 2019, he faced allegations of sexual misconduct from his presidency, but he was exonerated due to the withdrawal of complaints by involved parties and the decision to dismiss the prosecution.