The General Directorate of Migration reported that there was a problem Saturday involving access to the Interpol consulting system. This caused a slow-down of the routine processing of passports for both incoming and outgoing passengers at the two major airports Juan Santamaria in Alajuela* and Daniel Oduber in Guanacaste*.

Migration reports that a problem with communication access was detected because the judicial branch was carrying out maintenance work and could not query Interpol. 

Interpol access consists of a search of orders of international captures and passports stolen or lost worldwide. This means that immigration officers have to rely on national and international arrest warrants, which were issued by the court.

Sunday, migration reported that the problem of access to the Interpol database was solved.

According to Raquel Vargas, Director of Migration, "Interpol consultation, impediments, security systems and migration control are online, so there is no impact on airports."

The immigration control system allows officers to detect any person who leaves or enters the country who has arrest warrants for pending cases with the courts. However, recently the immigration police detained a U.S. citizen who managed to enter the country even though there was a detention order from United States.

In the first days of January, officials of the border police in Golfito* in Puntarenas, detained an U.S. citizen, surnamed Mohns, age 38, who has two arrest warrants in the U.S.

The police report that Mohns was identified by officials during a regular operation carried out in the town of Puerto Jiménez in Golfito.

During that police action, the officers were checking the papers of foreigners in the area and found that the identity documents from Mohns placed him in an irregular migratory status.