A Sanctuary City? San Jose’s Immigrant Reception and Social Integration Policies

Abstract

In San Jose, the capital city of Costa Rica, lives the largest domestic and foreign immigrant settlements in Central America. Immigrants and other ethnic groups are key actors of Costa Rica’s urban territory and the working market. In this article, we are interested in analyzing the relationship between migrant social and labor integration and their participation in daily urban activities that are performed in the context of the municipal government’s policies, and the efforts led by civil society and other public institutions. Our purpose is to identify how municipal policies are related to other measures taken within the framework of Costa Rica’s immigration policy. Local reception policies are partially related to the country’s political history of migration management, and effective reception policies translate into an individual’s active engagement in functional, moral, and symbolic integration efforts. The aim is to identify what is the city’s strategy to integrate foreign nationals into civil life. Although significant changes were made to immigration legislation between 2009 and 2011, providing room for social integration efforts, gaps in public policy persist, and immigrants remain largely invisible and ostracized. Gaps are a manifestation of urban fragility, a weakened social fabric, poor engagement, and limited consensus among urban residents.