World's largest pencil maker says Costa Rica used donated factory as detention centre

Faber-Castell says a factory it donated in Costa Rica for humanitarian use was reportedly used to hold people deported from the US; Costa Rica denies a rights violation and a constitutional court later found the deportees’ liberty had been deprived.

Faber-Castell says a former factory it closed in 2013 and donated to Costa Rica in 2018 was intended to become a humanitarian shelter and should not be used as a prison. The company told reporters it was not aware the site had been used to detain people deported from the United States. Human Rights Watch reported that some deportees were held at the site for months, and Costa Rica's ministry of public security has denied that their freedom was violated. A Costa Rican constitutional court later found that the deportees had been deprived of their liberty and indicated they were entitled to compensation. Key points: - Faber-Castell donated the former Maderin Eco factory in 2018 for use as a migrant shelter and says the contract barred changing that purpose. - Around 200 people deported from the US were taken to the site known as CATEM in early 2025; Human Rights Watch reported prolonged stays and said there was no legal basis for detention. - The Costa Rican ministry of public security said migrants were admitted on humanitarian grounds and denied any violation of freedom. - The constitutional branch of the supreme court ruled the deportees had been deprived of liberty and should receive compensation; government data from 28 January 2026 showed no migrants at the site. Summary: Faber-Castell has publicly objected to what it calls misuse of a donated facility, while Costa Rica maintains the moves were humanitarian and lawful. The constitutional court found a deprivation of liberty and ordered compensation for the deportees; the next legal or administrative steps are undetermined at this time.