US Immigration Authorities Detain Eight Nicaraguan Exiles
US immigration authorities have detained at least eight Nicaraguan exiles stripped of their nationality by the Ortega-Murillo government, including individuals with pending asylum claims, Human Rights Watch reported.
Eight Exiles Detained Across US Immigration Custody Centers
Seven of the detained individuals were among 222 political prisoners expelled from Nicaragua on February 9, 2023, when the government declared them traitors and stripped them of their citizenship, granting them two-year humanitarian paroles in the United States. The eighth detainee, journalist Luis Galeano, lost his nationality on February 15, 2023, alongside 93 other government critics. At least four of these eight men maintain pending asylum claims within the US immigration system.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) records and legal representatives confirmed that four of the men remain in custody. Two others have secured release on bond, including Galeano, who was freed on September 26, following a bond grant by an immigration judge, and Marvin Castellón Ubilla, who left custody in July after spending more than two months detained.
US Deportations to Nicaragua and Third Countries Rise
The detentions coincide with a sharp rise in overall US deportations to Nicaragua. Data analyzed by Human Rights Watch reveals that the US government deported more than 6,300 Nicaraguans between January and July 2026, nearly doubling the 3,323 removals recorded during the same period in 2025. Many of these deportees face immediate surveillance upon returning to Nicaragua.
US authorities have also increasingly removed Nicaraguans to third countries, bypassing direct returns. Since January 2025, more than 1,100 Nicaraguans have been sent to third nations, including 864 to Mexico, 63 to El Salvador, 50 to Guatemala, 49 to Honduras, and 26 to Panama. Human Rights Watch warns that these third-country removals, such as the November 2025 deportation of peasant Juan Barilla to Honduras, can expose exiles to transnational surveillance and intelligence networks operated by the Nicaraguan government.
International Laws Prohibit Returning People to Persecution Risks
International legal frameworks, including the Convention against Torture and the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, strictly prohibit the United States from returning individuals to territories where they face a real risk of torture or persecution. These protections extend to indirect or chain deportations involving third countries.
Human Rights Watch urges US authorities to halt the deportation of any Nicaraguan facing persecution risks and to guarantee humane treatment, medical care, and confidential legal access for anyone remaining in detention.