Nicaraguan exiles urge U.S. action against Ortega government

Nicaraguan exile groups and community leaders in South Florida are calling for increased United States intervention following statements by President Daniel Ortega suggesting that the country will not hold future presidential elections. During a press conference in Miami-Dade County, representatives warned that Ortega’s administration is strengthening ties with China, Russia, and Iran, which they argue poses a direct national security threat to the United States.

Aida Carrión-Vanegas, president of Nicaraguans-Americans United for the Republic, urged the U.S. government to utilize all available legal instruments to pressure the regime. Proposals from the diaspora include pursuing criminal charges for drug trafficking against Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, seeking their extradition, and designating the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) as a terrorist organization. Additionally, advocates are calling for the reactivation of the 2018 Nica Act to impose sanctions on high-ranking Nicaraguan officials and military personnel to force competitive elections.