US Sanctions Nicaragua Officials, Entities for Fueling Illegal Immigration

Senior administration officials also condemned the regime’s continued repression of Nicaraguans’ human rights and freedom of expression. 

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega (R) and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, during the commemoration of the 51st anniversary of the Pancasan guerrilla campaign, in Managua, Nicaragua, on Aug. 29, 2018. Inti Ocon/AFP/Getty Images

The Biden administration announced new actions against Nicaragua on May 15 to combat the authoritarian, left-wing Ortega–Murillo regime’s “exploitation” of migrants that they say is exacerbating the illegal immigration crisis in the region.

“The regime sells visas upon arrival at their airports for migrants that require them to leave the country in 96 hours,” a senior administration official said during a call with reporters.