A group of human rights lawyers is suing Costa Rica, accusing the country of violating the rights of 81 migrant children who were detained for nearly two months in a rural facility after being deported from the U.S. in February. The children, some as young as 2, are part of a larger group of mostly Asian migrants from countries like Afghanistan, China, and Russia. Many were hoping to seek asylum in the U.S. but were instead sent to Costa Rica and Panama as part of the Trump administration’s broader deportation efforts.

The lawsuit, filed before the U.N. committee overseeing the Convention on the Rights of the Child, claims Costa Rica held the children without legal status, access to education, or mental health services in their language, which could cause long-term harm. The migrants remain in a detention center known as CATEM, with many unwilling to leave due to fear of homelessness or deportation.

Critics argue this reflects a growing pattern of the U.S. exporting its deportation system, turning countries like Costa Rica and Panama into detention hubs. Similar legal actions have been filed against Panama, and concerns have also arisen over deportations to El Salvador, where migrants have been jailed in high-security prisons under questionable charges.