The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is weaponizing the mass migration of its citizens and those from other countries, making it easier for the latter to use the country as a transit point on their way to the U.S. border, according to Manuel Orozco, director of the migration program at the Inter-American Dialogue, and international organizations such as the Organization of American States. Unlike other Central American countries that have implemented more stringent visa regulations to control migration to the U.S., Managua permits citizens from around 90 countries to enter visa-free, allowing them to bypass the dangerous Darien Gap route through Panama on their way north.
Nicaragua’s visa-free entry policy, first implemented in 2021, significantly increased migration from Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela to the country to begin their journey to the United States. Over time, the program has attracted migrants from South America, many African countries, former Soviet Republics and China. The Nicaraguan government benefits from facilitating migration in several ways. First, it serves as a bargaining tool with the U.S., allowing it to exert influence or gain concessions by controlling or threatening to control migration flows.
Encouraging the emigration of Nicaraguans has also helped the Ortega administration ease some of the domestic pressures within Nicaragua, such as high unemployment and poverty, by reducing the number of people seeking jobs and resources. Unemployment among those aged 15-24 reached 11.3 percent in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it remained at 9.5 percent in 2024.