Nicaragua scraps visa-free entry to Cubans

By Gabriela Selser

Nicaragua has ended visa‑free entry for Cuban citizens effective Sunday, ending a policy that allowed thousands of Cubans to transit the Central American country in recent years on their journey north to the United States.

The government confirmed the decision in a statement. People familiar with the move said President Daniel Ortega’s administration appeared to be responding to pressure from Washington.

The United States under both the Trump and Biden administrations has accused Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo of allowing Cubans and other nationals to pass freely through Nicaragua and contribute to illegal migration to the U.S.

U.S. pressure on Managua has intensified in recent weeks following the capture by U.S. special forces of Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, a close ally of Ortega.

In January Nicaragua's government announced it had freed dozens of people from its national penitentiary system, after the U.S. demanded the release of more than 60 political prisoners in the country. The move came as Venezuela, also under U.S. pressure, began releasing political prisoners.