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US deports Nicaraguan torture survivor, who is jailed again in Managua
Коротко
Jeffrey Jarquín, a 35-year-old Nicaraguan who was tortured after protesting against President Daniel Ortega's government, was deported from the United States last week and taken straight back to El Modelo prison in Managua, relatives and his lawyer said. Jarquín had sought asylum in the US and was living in Miami before his case was rejected by a Louisiana court in July. The Los Angeles Times reported that Nicaraguans persecuted for pro-democracy activity are increasingly being deported as the Trump administration narrows asylum access.
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Jeffrey Jarquín, a 35-year-old Nicaraguan who was imprisoned and tortured after protesting against his country's government, was deported from the United States back to Nicaragua last week and was immediately jailed again, according to relatives, his lawyer and human rights advocates. Upon getting off the deportation flight in Managua, he was taken back to El Modelo, the same maximum-security prison where he had been held before. A family member confirmed the re-imprisonment to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, saying they feared persecution by the government. Local media first reported the deportation and detention. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Jarquín was a prominent figure in the 2018 anti-government protests against President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, which set off a yearslong campaign to crush dissent. He helped occupy two public universities and later took refuge in a small Catholic church as it came under fire from pro-government militia forces, the Los Angeles Times reported. He was detained in 2018 with other protesters and, according to a 2019 Organization of American States report, was tortured in chambers known as “tiny hell.” Jarquín later told journalists and human rights investigators that guards burned his genitals with cigarette butts. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Jarquín was released and fled to the United States, where he sought political asylum. His US lawyer, Osley Sallent, confirmed the deportation. Sallent said Jarquín was living in Miami when he was detained, that his asylum case was rejected by a Louisiana court in July, and that he had been held at Alligator Alcatraz, the Florida immigration detention center in the Everglades, before his removal. Sallent was not able to provide further details of the asylum case. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the Associated Press reported. [ 2 , 3 ]
The deportation comes as the Trump administration has sanctioned Ortega and his family and repeatedly criticized his government. Juan Pablo Segura, deputy assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs, recently called it a “brutal dictatorship that is stealing, lying and murdering,” the Los Angeles Times reported. Yet the same report said journalists, human rights advocates and political dissidents persecuted in Nicaragua are increasingly being targeted for deportation as the administration narrows access to asylum and widens the pool of migrants eligible for removal, including members of a group of Nicaraguan political prisoners freed in a 2023 State Department deal. [ 1 ]
The Associated Press, citing UN figures, reported that the Nicaraguan government's crackdown on critics, civil society and religious groups has driven more than 800,000 people to leave the country. The documents do not include any comment from Nicaraguan authorities on Jarquín's case. [ 2 , 3 ]
Почему это важно
The case places US deportation policy in direct tension with Washington's public criticism of Ortega, whose government the State Department has called a brutal dictatorship. It also signals that Nicaraguan dissidents granted humanitarian parole after a 2023 State Department deal may now face removal, a prospect that could deter others seeking US protection.
Ключевые факты
- Jeffrey Jarquín, 35, a Nicaraguan who protested against President Daniel Ortega's government in 2018, was deported from the US to Nicaragua last week and imprisoned immediately. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He was taken from the deportation flight in Managua back to the maximum-security El Modelo prison, where he had previously been held and, according to a 2019 Organization of American States report, tortured in chambers known as “tiny hell.” [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Jarquín told journalists and human rights investigators that guards burned his genitals with cigarette butts while he was imprisoned, the Los Angeles Times reported. [ 1 ]
- His US lawyer, Osley Sallent, confirmed he was deported after seeking asylum in the United States. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Sallent said Jarquín was living in Miami when he was detained, that his asylum case was rejected by a Louisiana court in July, and that he had been held at the Florida immigration detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz. [ 3 ]
- US Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to the Associated Press. [ 3 ]
- More than 800,000 people have fled Nicaragua during the Ortega government's crackdown on critics, civil society and religious groups, according to UN figures cited by the Associated Press. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The Trump administration has sanctioned Ortega and his family and criticized his government, with a State Department official, Juan Pablo Segura, calling it a “brutal dictatorship that is stealing, lying and murdering.” [ 1 ]
Подтверждено несколькими источниками
- Jeffrey Jarquín, 35, was deported by the United States to Nicaragua last week and was imprisoned again immediately on arrival in Managua. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Jarquín was a prominent participant in the 2018 anti-government protests against Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo and was previously held at El Modelo prison. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- His US lawyer confirmed he was deported after seeking asylum in the United States. [ 2 , 3 ]
- A family member, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of persecution, confirmed the deportation and re-imprisonment; local media first reported the case. [ 2 , 3 ]
Пока неясно
- Whether Jarquín's asylum case was rejected by a Louisiana court in July and whether he was held at the Alligator Alcatraz detention center in Florida. These details appear only in one outlet's text, attributed to his lawyer Osley Sallent, and are not carried by the other documents.
- The exact length of Jarquín's first imprisonment. The Los Angeles Times says nine months, while the Associated Press says he was released “a year later.”
- How Jarquín is being treated in custody and whether he has been charged. No document describes his current legal status in Nicaragua or any response from Nicaraguan authorities.
- The US government's account of the deportation. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and no US official is quoted on this case.
Что пишут местные СМИ
Хронология, местное время
- The Los Angeles Times publishes its report on Jarquín's deportation and re-imprisonment, citing relatives and human rights advocates. [ 1 ]
- The Associated Press reports that a family member and Jarquín's US lawyer confirmed the deportation and detention. [ 2 ]
- The Seattle Times carries the Associated Press account, which adds that Jarquín was living in Miami, that a Louisiana court rejected his asylum case in July and that he had been held at the Alligator Alcatraz detention center. [ 3 ]