AA
Share
At least six Nicaraguans who had been barred by the regime from returning to the country after traveling abroad have received emails from the Interior Ministry (MINT) informing them that their entry into Nicaragua “is authorized,” CONFIDENCIAL has confirmed.
“We kindly inform you that entry to our country is authorized. Please acknowledge receipt,” the MINT wrote in the emails, on which it signs “Ministerio del Interior República de Nicaragua”.
Some of the citizens—who had been de-facto exiled—also received a form that the government requires foreigners to complete when entering or leaving Nicaragua. The form asks for personal information, nationality, travel details, and whether the traveler was invited by the government, a company, an embassy, or a personal contact.
The newspaper La Prensa also reported on the Interior Ministry’s notifications. According to its reporting, some notices have been delivered via phone calls or WhatsApp messages. However, CONFIDENCIAL has only confirmed notifications sent by email.
Selective Authorizations or a Reversal?
With this decision, the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo would be rolling back its selective ban on Nicaraguans entering their own country—a policy it has enforced more regularly since mid-2023 and intensified in 2025.
However, authorities have made no public announcement, and it remains unclear whether the restoration of the right to reenter the country is universal or will continue to be applied selectively.
CONFIDENCIAL consulted several people who have been banned by the dictatorship from returning, who said they had not been notified of any change in their situation.
In November 2025, the head of MINT, María Amelia Coronel, justified the entry bans by saying:
“We do this primarily because we have the legal authority to do so and, above all, to protect national sovereignty and public safety, which are of utmost importance to the Interior Ministry and to all of Nicaragua.”
More than 300 Nicaraguans banned from Nicaragua
The Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua (GHREN) reported in February 2025 that the regime had denied entry to approximately 318 Nicaraguans between June 2018 and August 2025.
Those effectively exiled include journalists, human rights defenders, activists, relatives of opposition figures, and released political prisoners, among others.
Several Nicaraguan and foreign YouTubers have also publicly denounced being denied entry into the country.
Entry bans increased following the mass expulsion of 222 released political prisoners to the United States in February 2023 and, according to GHREN, are part of a “broader pattern of serious and systematic violations of the right to freedom of movement and to freely choose one’s residence.”
“We are fighting organized crime, terrorism, and any actions by anyone that threaten the peace and security that have cost us so much,” the Interior Minister said in an interview with the pro-government channel TN8.
How Entry Bans to Nicaragua Work
GHREN detailed that the exile machinery begins when airlines or bus companies send passenger lists to the General Directorate of Migration and Immigration, identifying those intending to enter Nicaragua.
Migration authorities use these lists to cross-check names against another list they periodically receive from the Interior Ministry. These lists flag individuals under “alert,” indicating who should be barred from leaving, entering, or reentering Nicaragua.
At Migration, officials further supplement this information by searching for data about the flagged individuals online and on social media. Through this review, any piece of information, social media post, or connection deemed “suspicious” can be enough to compile a file on a person attempting to travel and label them unfit to leave or enter the country.
Finally, citizens receive an email from the airline or transport company—usually 24 hours before their return trip to Nicaragua—informing them that entry has been denied. Some individuals attempting to leave the country have also had their passports confiscated.
Political Operatives Decide Who Gets In
GHREN revealed that there is a chain of command behind decisions to deny entry, led by the Deputy Directorate of Police Intelligence and Investigation, the Army’s Directorate of Information for Defense, and operatives from the Sandinista Front.
These officials and operatives investigate individuals and send their findings to the Interior Ministry, which ultimately authorizes or denies entry into the country.
This is followed by a written or verbal notification from the Interior Ministry to transport companies or border posts in Nicaragua enforcing the entry ban.
Cases of de facto exile are also underreported, as many individuals choose not to file complaints for fear of reprisals.
The group warns that “the lack of official documentation prevents individuals from pursuing regularization or resettlement processes in other countries.”
Shifts Following Tensions with the United States
In recent months, the Ortega regime has eased some of its repressive stance following actions taken by the U.S. government against its allies in Venezuela and Cuba.
It began with the release of some political prisoners after the capture of Nicolás Maduro, and the rejection of accusations of drug seizures from Nicaragua. Even the propaganda media have begun to interview alleged drug traffickers detained after trying to pass through national territory.
The regime also allowed some Catholic churches to hold their usual Holy Week activities and sent its propaganda outlets to cover them, in an apparent attempt to refute claims of religious persecution—while restrictions and police surveillance remain in place across most parishes.
“We call on those who have spread falsehoods about our religious life to retract what is clearly nothing more than a politically motivated disinformation campaign that fuels hatred and has nothing to do with religion or faith,” the “Co-Presidency” said in a statement, accusing critics of being “spokespeople for the U.S. government.”
Since 2019, after imprisoning dozens of priests, more than 200 religious figures—including four bishops from the Episcopal Conference—have been forced into exile and remain abroad. Meanwhile, the regime has illegally confiscated 39 properties belonging to the Catholic Church and religious orders, according to a CONFIDENCIAL investigation published in late 2025.
