Costa Rica’s appeal to the Arizona District Court over the rights of illegal immigrants in the United States was thrown out last week because it was submitted past deadline. In an e-mail to The Tico Times, an assistant to the clerk of the court confirmed that “the motion was denied on Sept. 2, 2010 as untimely.”
Federal Judge Susan Bolton entered an order on July 1, stating that any interested party wishing to file an amicus curiae must do so no later than July 14, according to the court. (An amicus curiae is someone not involved in a case who volunteers information that could affect the could bear on the case’s outcome.) Costa Rica filed its motion on July 21.
Costa Rica was not the only one to file a motion with the Arizona District Court. Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Nicaragua also denounced Arizona’s new law.The Costa Rican Foreign Ministry wrote in a press release that it was concerned for the civil and human rights of Costa Rican citizens while in the United States. Faithful to its tradition of promoting and defending human rights, Costa Rica has raised its voice against discrimination against immigrants in the United States.
The case is currently on appeal and will be taken up by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in November.