Nicaraguans Repeat Migration Of The 80’s

Many Nicaraguans, as thousands of citizens of Latin American countries, have been forced to leave their homeland in search of a better future for their families. A phenomenon similar to the exodus they experienced in the eighties, during the revolution called Sandinista, where they escaped repression, military service and a not very encouraging economy.

The current panorama of the Nicaraguans is not far from that past experience, causing thousands of citizens of the Central American nation to continue migrating to the United States, and in recent years the statistics continue to rise. The number of Nicaraguans entering the country between January 2021 and April 2022 is 141,000, most of them seeking political asylum, claiming persecution by the government of Daniel Ortega.

Currently, more than 400,000 Nicaraguan immigrants are in the United States. A figure that in just one year increased by more than 30%, and projections point to a rise in the coming years, with large numbers of Nicaraguans seeking avenues to seek a better future in the country.

U.S. immigration authorities have supported Nicaraguan migration with different applications, from asylum, to Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which provides shelter to those living in the country since 1999 without interruption. But apart from these immigration benefits, there are options that allow many undocumented Nicaraguans to regularize their status. These are options that provide opportunities to achieve permanent residency, and in the medium term, become U.S. citizens.