Narayan AmmachchiMore than 300,000 Nicaraguans fled their country in 2022 as President Daniel Ortega’s regime became increasingly brutal and continued to crush opposition protests.
The number was brought to light by a report published by local daily Confidencial. The report was built on data the newspaper sourced from other countries where Nicaraguan migrants are seeking asylum.
A majority of these migrants ended up at the US-Mexico border, the newspaper said, citing US immigration data that confirmed the arrest of 181,566 Nicaraguans during the period.
Record numbers of Nicaraguans are fleeing their homeland and journeying to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Think about this: U.S. border officials processed more Nicaraguan migrants last month than migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador combined. https://t.co/zQI3LMvJNL
— Camilo Montoya-Galvez (@camiloreports) December 24, 2022
Many others journeyed to Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador, while some managed to reach Panama and even Spain.
The report blames human rights abuses and economic hardship for the large-scale exodus.
The journey has proven fatal for many Nicaraguan migrants. Reports point to the death of 25 in traffic accidents, while 30 more drowned in their attempt to cross the Rio Bravo river.
The report comes at a time when the United States is pumping money into Central American economies in an attempt to halt the exodus. In recent years, Washington has persuaded its multinational companies to invest and create jobs in Central American countries.
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