The United States granted humanitarian parole to the 222 Nicaraguans who arrived on Thursday at the Dulles airport in Virginia, after being expelled from their country by the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
Emily Mendrala, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, of the Department of State (DOS) also confirmed that all those released were processed by the Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP for its acronym in English).
“The United States arranged for the transportation of these individuals, once they were released from Nicaraguan custody. All entered the country under humanitarian parole for a period of two years. All of them left voluntarily and agreed to travel to the United States,” Mendrala explained at a press conference.
Most of those released were detained for more than two years for having “expressed” their opinion against the regime led by President Ortega and the vice president, his wife, Rosario Murillo.
Among those exiled are a US citizen, the former presidential candidate, various political leaders, Sandinista leaders and students, who were arbitrarily imprisoned without access to due legal process.
Despite the fact that the US diplomatic representation had called on Ortega to release the political prisoners, Mendrala confirmed that there was no negotiation for this group to be released from jail.
“The Nicaraguan government unilaterally decided to release the prisoners. There was no negotiation,” said the official.
On Thursday night, when the Nicaraguans were still being processed at the Dulles airport, Ortega celebrated on national television that after the expulsion Nicaragua had freed itself from “coup plotters and terrorists” trained by the United States.
According to the State Department, this action will not change the policies of sanctions and measures towards the Ortega government and officials accused of corruption, human rights violations or anti-democratic actions.
What will happen to the Nicaraguans?
Mendrala stressed that all the people who arrive in the United States did so voluntarily and by consensus. However, he clarified that not all of them will stay in the country and that the United States is coordinating the transfer with other states.
“Some have relatives in the country and are in the process of connecting with them. Others have links with third countries in the region or in Europe. We have been in communication with Mexico and Spain, we have legal services and advisors so they can explore the options available to them,” Mendrala said.
In addition, the official said that those who have relatives in any state of the country can take advantage of the parole program recently enabled by the Administration of President Joe Biden, for Nicaraguans, Venezuelans and Cubans.
Of the exiled prisoners, two did not agree to travel to the United States, including Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez of the Diocese of Matagalpa, who has been one of the most critical voices against the Ortega Murillos.
From his sermons, the religious condemned the human rights violations committed by the security forces and by members of the regime.