Over 600,000 Nicaraguans displaced since 2018 crisis, largest exodus in the country’s history

Nicaragua’s ongoing crisis since April 2018 has resulted in the displacement of over 605,043 individuals, marking the largest exodus in the country’s history, as per a recent report by the Nicaraguan human rights organization, Never Again Nicaragua.

This number surpasses the displacement experienced during the 1980s civil war.

The study attributes the mass displacement, equating to 9% of Nicaragua’s total population, to governmental repression against opposition, religious critics, and opponents of Daniel Ortega’s regime.

The U.S. is the primary destination for these displaced Nicaraguans, with at least 344,000 intercepted at the U.S. southern border since April 2018, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service.

Yearly U.S. immigration from Nicaragua has risen from 3,337 in 2018 to 108,968 in 2023 (through May), the human rights group reported.

However, Nicaraguans seeking asylum in the U.S. often face challenges due to increasingly restrictive immigration policies, with the potential threat of deportation if asylum claims fail.

Following the U.S., the primary countries of asylum for Nicaraguans are Costa Rica (209,344), Mexico (17,047), and Spain (15,470).

The human rights organization projects that if the current migration trend continues, by December 2023, the exodus could reach 804,000, amounting to 11.7% of Nicaragua’s population.