The economic crisis that has led to an increase in the cost of living, added to the uncertainty and fear of the de facto police state imposed by the Ortega regime, are the main causes that trigger the migration crisis that Nicaragua is experiencing, and not the sanctions of the international community, as the dictator assures Daniel Ortega, according to what was expressed by Nicaraguan migrants consulted in the program Tonight.
Ortega, in his speech during the 43rd anniversary of the founding of the Ministry of the Interior (Migob), blamed the sanctions that the United States and the international community have imposed to pressure it to lift the police state and restore democracy and civil liberties, as the culprits of the migratory bloodletting in Nicaragua , Venezuela and Cuba.
“It is the country that has caused the greatest damage and the greatest crisis in the world, and then they complain about the emigrants. Keep imposing sanctions, and migrants will continue to arrive at their doors”, he said in reference to the Cubans, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans fleeing dictatorships that overwhelm their countries.
The Nicaraguan migrants consulted in Tonight They made it clear that the sanctions are not the trigger that has forced them to cross the borders of Nicaragua, mainly to Costa Rica and the United States.
Hannah Ortiz. a Nicaraguan migrant living in Miami, was emphatic in saying that the tragic cocktail of the serious economic crisis and the climate of political violence It was the one that led her to make the decision to leave Nicaragua.
“People are leaving because of the economic situation, the situation that you can’t talk about him (Daniel Ortega). The thing that if you talk about him they put you in jail. One leaves for fear that they will put you in jail and they will invent things for you, as there are innocent people in El Chipote”, he affirmed.
“The economic situation is very bad and I am a single mother. In my opinion, it was to give my daughters a better life, because the money I earned was not enough for the two I have,” she added.
“Daniel Ortega is the one promoting migration”
“Juan” is another Nicaraguan migrant, who asked us to hide his identity for security reasons. He also does not blame the sanctions against Ortega and his operators as the causes that motivated him to seek a better life outside of Nicaragua.
“Daniel Ortega has no argument to talk about migration, because he is the one who is promoting it. The sanctions already know what they are, the sanctions are for the regime of Daniel Ortega”, he affirmed.
“One of the reasons I decided to migrate was because, as we all know, the situation in the country, unfortunately the economic and socialit is quite hard and ugly. I decided to migrate because I wanted to get ahead. Two, because I wanted to study here and prepare myself better. Three, by the Government. The situation is not good, it is very bad. There is no freedom of the press, there is no freedom of anything,” he added.
On October 24, US President Joe Biden expanded the scope of action of Executive Order 13851—signed in November 2018, by then President Donald Trump—, and now it will be possible to sanction representatives and entities of the sectors of the Nicaraguan economy, that support the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
Now, with this modification made by Biden to executive order 13851the possibility of investing in the Nicaraguan gold industry is prohibited for US citizens.
“We fled repression and harassment”
Kevin Monzón, a well-known tiktoker who came under the scrutiny of the dictatorship for critical videos, also rejected Ortega’s position in reference to the sanctions against the regime being what motivated his departure from Nicaragua.
“I went into exile on September 23 of last year when my house was raided by the police and Ortega paramilitaries. What can we Nicaraguans do? It is having to flee Nicaragua, because in Nicaragua we live in an uncertain future,” said the young activist.
“We flee from the persecution, the siege, the harassment, the repression that the regime unleashes every day. Our people continue to suffer and will continue to suffer from this criminal dictatorship,” Monzón stressed.
The latest survey by the specialized firm Cid Gallupcarried out between September and October of this year and disclosed by CONFIDENTIAL, reveals that 58% of Nicaraguans would leave the country if they could, and the three main reasons they give for doing so are “lack of employment”, “high cost of living” and “government corruption”.
The director of CID Gallup, Luis Haug, when analyzing the results of the survey, which also stated that the desire to migrate 58% of Nicaraguans It is linked to the increase in the cost of living, the growing unpopularity of Rosario Murillo and Daniel Ortega, and the abstentionist trend in the next municipal elections.
“There is hopelessness about the future that awaits them, there is hopelessness about the actions that the different government leaders are taking, and a desire for change, but this is not in sight at this time,” said Haug, In an interview in CONFIDENTIAL.
