Costa Rica’s government on Thursday welcomed its first group of mostly Asian migrants deported from the United States, marking the beginning of a deal to temporarily shelter up to 200 deportees from various nations.

The move is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's intensified crackdown on illegal migration, which includes an increasing number of deportation flights to countries cooperating in the multinational repatriation effort.

The latest group of expelled migrants was flown from San Diego to San José, Costa Rica, before being transported by bus to a migrant shelter near the Panamanian border.

According to Deputy Security Minister Omer Badilla, the migrants will be allowed to remain in Costa Rica for one month, during which officials will arrange their voluntary return to their home countries.

"Most of them want to return to their countries," Badilla told reporters at the San José airport, adding that those who choose to stay will have their cases reviewed individually.

The deportees, all part of family units, come from Uzbekistan, China, Armenia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Russia, Georgia, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, and Ghana.

Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves announced on Wednesday that up to 200 migrants deported by the U.S. would be sent to Costa Rica, citing the risk of U.S. trade tariffs on Costa Rican goods as a key factor in the agreement.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, U.S. authorities deported 177 Venezuelan migrants from Guantanamo Bay to Honduras, from where they will eventually be sent to Venezuela.

In a related development, Panama’s government revealed that three migrants it received from the U.S. had applied for asylum, with the possibility of eventual relocation to Canada or other nations.