President Rodrigo Chaves-Robles announced Thursday that Costa Rica will not request the United States to reverse its decision to cancel the visas of Congresswomen Johanna Obando and Cinthya Córdoba.

“The facts speak for themselves,” Chaves said, emphasizing that the U.S. government made a sovereign decision following its laws. “The U.S. has decided to inform these individuals (Obando and Córdoba) that they are not welcome in the United States and cannot travel there. People know that their actions have consequences.”

On Wednesday, Obando and Córdoba, both members of the Liberal Progressive Party (PLP), were notified that their U.S. visas, both diplomatic and tourist, had been revoked.

According to the congresswomen, they received no explanation for the decision.

Both have recently made headlines for meetings with representatives of the Chinese company Huawei.

Obando, in particular, has criticized Chaves' government for blocking Huawei from bidding on contracts for Costa Rica’s 5G network development.

In December 2024, Costa Rica’s Public Ministry initiated a criminal investigation involving Huawei and several executives from the Electricity Institute (ICE), over allegations of fraud.

Huawei had attempted to compete in Costa Rica's 5G network tender, despite not meeting the country's standards under the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime.

The Budapest Convention, the first global treaty to address Internet and cybercrime through unified international laws, strengthens investigative methods and promotes cooperation among the 68 countries that have ratified it.

Additionally, Costa Rica has accused hackers, believed to be based in China, of infiltrating the country's telecommunications and technology systems. This followed a cybersecurity diagnosis conducted by U.S. experts in collaboration with Costa Rican authorities.

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