WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department is planning to spend up to $7.85 million to help Costa Rica deport immigrants, according to a document seen by Reuters, under an arrangement similar to a Biden-era program that drew criticism from migrant advocates.

According to the document, the State Department will transfer money from its "economic support fund" - which is typically used to boost economic development in allied countries - to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration enforcement. DHS will then work with Costa Rican authorities to facilitate deportations from the Central American nation.

Earlier in the year, Costa Rica agreed to a Trump administration request that it accept 200 immigrants originating from Africa, Asia and Europe who were in the U.S. illegally. While the plan was for Costa Rica to send those immigrants back to their countries of origin, dozens remain in the Central American country.

Asked for comment, the State Department suggested that the new funds were mainly intended to help Costa Rica deport migrants passing through the country on the way to the U.S., rather than repatriate those immigrants deported from the United States.

"The program will build capacity of the Costa Rican immigration authorities to stop the flow of illegal migration through its borders, while also providing training and resources on asylum screening," a spokesperson said.

While the document gave details of the planned money transfer, it was not clear when the deportation effort will happen or if it could be subject to changes.

According to the document, the Costa Rica arrangement is modeled "in part" on a deal signed in 2024 between the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden and Panama, under which the U.S. paid for Panama to detain and deport migrants moving through the country as they traveled from Colombia to the U.S.

Some migrant advocates and elected Democrats said at the time that the deal could essentially stop vulnerable populations from having access to the U.S. asylum system.

"The Department intends to suppo...