Costa Rican Immigration Police (Policia Profesional de Migracion) reported the death of an American by the last name of Hall, on Saturday, allegedly by suicide, while in custody for being out of status with his documents to legally be in Costa Rica. Hall was found deceased in his cell early Saturday morning, in the immigration prison located in Los Lagos de Heredia. He had been picked up in Jaco two days earlier, accused of irregular (Illegal) immigration status. Authorities maintain that they followed the usual procedures with Hall, including a medical assessment by Red Cross paramedics before confining him to the cell where he was found deceased early Saturday.

According to Stephen Madden, Director of Immigration Police, Hall had been assigned a module which ended up being “the place where he was found lifeless, in circumstances that are still under investigation.” The OIJ (Organismo de Investgacion Judicial) was called to remove the body to the Forensic Center, to determine the cause of death. This process is often lengthy in Costa Rica, as there is only one morgue and one forensic lab to process all deaths. By Costa Rican law, all deaths which seem suspicious or occur outside the hospital require autopsies.

Hall was detained by immigration authorities as a foreigner who had entered or remained in the country in an irregular manner. Those in this category are usually detained until it is determined whether their status can be amended, or if deportation procedures should be initiated. This process usually takes 24 hours, but can be longer – one case even lasting six months – but usually no longer than 30 days. Hall’s immigration status had not yet been confirmed at the time of his death. During this time, prisoners have the right to be informed of reasons for the apprehension, the right to consular assistance, access to legal counsel paid by detainee, and competent linguistic assistance. It is not unusual for the process of ascertaining the veracity of someone’s travel documents to take at least 24 hours.

Costa Rica began systematically applying Immigration Detention in the 1990s, mostly to contend with the influx of Nicaraguans coming to Costa Rica as undocumented laborers, a challenge which continues to this day. Immigration detention facilities have fallen under criticism by international human rights organizations for having inadequate sanitary conditions. American consular representatives are required to visit detainees at least once a month to verify that detainees are receiving proper health care and treatment.

The O.I.J. remains in charge of the case and will release more information on Mr. Hall’s demise and the circumstances surrounding his death when new details become available.
The American Embassy is not releasing more details of Mr. Hall’s death, pending forensic results and notification of next of kin. All American visitors and residents of Costa Rica should enroll in the Embassy’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (SMART), to avoid just this complication and delay. You can register online in five minutes at https://step.state.gov. This facilitates notification of next of kin and can be invaluable should there be a natural disaster or political strife, or an unexpected death.

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