Immigrants play a key role in Costa Rican economy

The Nicaraguan conflict has led to 11,000 requests for refuge in Costa Rica in the last three months, though unofficially it is believed that some 30,000 Nicaraguans have moved in to the country.

The result in Costa Rica has been a bout of xenophobic events in public parks and in the social networks.

But immigrants amount to 10 percent of the Costa Rican population while generating 12 percent of the nation's production, especially in activities such as construction, farming and fishing, that Costa Ricans have largely abandoned.