Thousands flee to U.S. to escape turmoil at home

MIAMI — Alan Reyes fled Nicaragua by bus in the middle of the night, haunted by memories of government officials harassing him, throwing him in jail and then leaving him half naked in a dumpster.

After crossing the MexicanU.S. border in February and being detained for two months, the 20yearold immigrant lives in San Francisco and hopes to receive a work permit soon.

“I lived in fear and decided to seek help in this country,” said Reyes, who left his partner and an 8monthold baby in his home country.

Reyes is one of the thousands of Nicaraguans the U.S. government has encountered at the border in recent months. Customs and Border Protection data shows a big jump in arrivals from the Central American country, which is the focus of international criticism over arbitrary arrests and the restriction of fundamental rights.

U.S. authorities stopped Nicaraguans 7,425 times in June compared to 534 times in January. So far in the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, U.S. officials have stopped Nicaraguans more than 19,300 times at the southern border. That’s the highest number of encounters registered in recent years, surpassing record figures from fiscal year 2019, when authorities stopped Nicaraguans more than 13,000 times.

At that moment, Nicaragua was immersed in a political crisis after the government announced a plan to cut social security benefits. Widespread protests caused the government to back down, but demonstrations grew into a movement demanding that President Daniel Ortega step down after more than a decade in power. At least 328 people died during repression of the demonstrations, said the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights.

Now, Ortega is seeking a fourth consecutive term as president in elections in November and has been systematically clearing his path of potential challengers through arrests for alleged crimes against the state.

According to the rights commission, more than 20 people have been detained, including presidential candidates Cristina Chamorro, Arturo Cruz, Felix Maradiaga, Juan Sebastian Chamorro, Miguel Mora, Medardo Mairena and Noel Vidaurre.

Nicaraguans have usually been a small number of the Central Americans trying to migrate to the U.S. However, Nicaragua’s government migration offices are now full of people trying to obtain passports.

For Reyes, life in Nicaragua meant moving in with his aunt to avoid putting his immediate family in danger.

“I miss my family but I know they will be here with me one day,” said Reyes.

Eric Risberg / Associated Press Alan Reyes, shown at his San Francisco home, arrived in the U.S. from Nicaragua in February after getting death threats.