“Scarecrows” Spook “Hawks” at Immigration
The so-called hawks that sell places in line and assist with paperwork at Immigration were the target of a special operative by officials this week. The "entrepeneurs" have resulted from Immigration’s practice of only giving 500 passport appointments per day. The "hawks" camp out overnight and place 50 chairs at the entrance to immigration to reserve the spaces, which they then sell for as much as 20,000 colones ($40) depending on demand.
The director of Immigration, Johnny Marin, stated that authorities have received complaints from citizens that the space scalpers have threatened those who have tried to get ahead of the seats in line, with guns even. The practice of standing in line, then selling that space is not illegal, but the threats are, according to Marin, who estimates as many as 40 people are involved in the practice. PANI was present in the operation due to reports of children participating in the space scalping.