US announced new sanctions and other restrictions on Nicaragua Wednesday, aiming to curb migration to the US southern border and penalise the country for alleged human rights abuses and its close ties to Russia.
Some of the actions against the country are being taken to address "significant concern about the government of Nicaragua and its continued repression of the people of Nicaragua and their exploitation of migrants," a senior administration official said, reports CBS News.
US officials accused the leaders of Nicaragua's government — the husband-and-wife duo of President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo — of "profiting off of desperate and vulnerable migrants."
"The [Nicaraguan] regime sells visas upon arrival at their airports for migrants that require them to leave the country in 96 hours," a US official explained.
The Biden administration also issued an aviation alert for air carriers and charter flight companies, which is meant to notify the airlines that migrants are being exploited through the use of their planes.
The US is recommending that these businesses participate in travel document validation processes, work with the Biden administration to identify routes that are known for migrant smuggling and report concerns about Nicaraguan government actions at the airports.
Lastly, the US is hoping to hit Nicaragua's financial elites by sanctioning two government-run gold companies and slapping visa restrictions on 250 government members and society leaders who inhibit rights and freedoms for the Nicaraguan people, the US officials said.
