On May 15, the Biden administration announced new actions against Nicaragua to combat the exploitation of migrants by the authoritarian, left-wing Ortega–Murillo regime. The regime is said to be exacerbating the illegal immigration crisis in the region by selling visas upon arrival at their airports for migrants that require them to leave the country within 96 hours. This policy generates a substantial profit for the Nicaraguan government and facilitates the smuggling of migrants up towards the United States’ southwest border.
In addition to addressing migration issues, the Biden administration has condemned the regime’s continued repression of Nicaraguans’ human rights and freedom of expression. Daniel Ortega, Rosario Murillo, and their associates are accused of unjustly detaining their own citizens who bravely advocate for free civil society, religious freedom, and freedom of expression.
The Biden administration is committed to promoting accountability for those who act on behalf of the regime’s assaults on democracy and human rights. Actions taken by the Treasury Department and the Department of Homeland Security include imposing visa restrictions on more than 250 members of the Nicaraguan government, as well as select non-governmental actors. These individuals include judges, police and paramilitary personnel, penitentiary officials, prosecutors, and public higher education officials.
Sanctions have also been imposed on three Nicaragua-based entities: one is a training center in Managua for the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs that enables anti-democratic behavior and repression; the other two are gold companies that generate revenue for the regime—Compania Minera Internacional, Sociedad Anonima (COMINTSA), and Capital Mining Investment Nicaragua, Sociedad Anonima.
The sanctions prohibit U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with these entities, and any assets they have in the United States are blocked. Along with these sanctions and restrictions, a joint policy alert is being released by the Departments of State, Homeland Security, and Treasury to airlines, air charter operators, travel agents, and service providers.
The alert warns about ways that smugglers facilitate illegal migration and trafficking networks to the United States and underscores the importance of preventing the exploitation of legitimate transportation services. The alert also provides five suggestions for mitigating irregular migration, such as transmitting accurate advance passenger information 24 hours before a scheduled takeoff, as is required by government regulations.
White House officials clarified that they are not trying to stop tourists and legitimate travel to and from Nicaragua despite concerns that it helps enrich the current regime. A senior official emphasized that the Biden administration is focused on the regime “profiting off the movement of migrants and facilitating the smuggling of migrants.
The administration believes these measures will have a concrete effect and will continue to evaluate and monitor their impact, adjusting as necessary based on the situation on the ground.