Nicaragua Arrests Ex-Political Prisoner After Deportation From U.S.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is the longest-serving leader in the Americas (Ismael Francisco/ Cubadebate).

On October 1, a Nicaraguan political activist was deported from the United States and imprisoned in Nicaragua upon reentry, Univision reports. Jeffrey Jarquin had been seeking asylum while living in Miami when he was detained by immigration agents. A local judge denied his asylum request amid a crackdown on Nicaraguan immigrants, as U.S. deportations have nearly doubled over the past year. 

After arriving in Managua, Jarquin was taken directly to La Modelo prison, where he had previously spent time as a political prisoner. He was arrested in 2018 by the Nicaraguan government for protesting President Daniel Ortega’s regime on university campuses. Jarquin recalls being tortured during his nine months in prison, stating that authorities burned his genitals with cigarettes. Muriel Saenz, a fellow activist who represented Jarquin at an immigration hearing, claims that Jarquin has been sent “back into the hands of his tormentors.” 

In his 26 years in power, President Ortega, the longest-serving leader in the Americas, has strengthened his authoritarian rule through the termination of critical media outlets and nongovernmental organizations. The Los Angeles Times states he jails or expels “virtually all of his political opponents.” In 2024, an Ortega-controlled Congress inaugurated his wife, Rosario Murillo, as his co-president. The pair have canceled elections scheduled for next year.

Earlier this month, the Nicaraguan foreign ministry announced it would be exiting the Central American Parliament, an organization focused on protecting human rights and democracy in the region. The decision comes amid intense criticism from both native opponents, like Jarquin, and the international community of Ortega’s use of power and treatment of opponents. The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State has called the sociopolitical climate “intolerable”. The Americas division of Human Rights Watch states exiled government critics who return to Nicaragua are at “real risk of torture or persecution.”  

Jarquin’s return to La Modelo prison underscores the continued risks those who challenge Ortega’s government face, even after leaving the country. His case reflects broader challenges facing Nicaraguans who hope for democratic rights and stability but cannot express their beliefs in the current political climate.