Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) said Wednesday that Nicaragua's communist regime is “directly contributing” to the migrant crisis at the U.S. southern border and allowing the presence of Russian troops on the territory. He said it was a threat to the United States.
Mr. Rubio said this during his confirmation hearing in Congress to become secretary of state. I felt stressed The need to address the growing threat posed to the United States by the regime led by dictator Daniel Ortega and his wife (and “co-president”) Rosario Murillo. Sen. Rubio said the Ortega administration is not only eroding democracy at home, but also challenging U.S. strategic interests in the region.
“They literally loaded planes full of enemies into the United States and around the world,” Rubio said. said“While this is a major challenge for our national security, there is an even more worrying aspect,'' he said.
“First of all, it's because of immigration pressure. Second, because the Nicaraguan regime allows people to fly to Nicaragua from anywhere in the world without a visa and then transit to the United States.” said Rubio. continuation.
In recent years, dictator Ortega has implemented a series of policies to “weaponize” immigration against the United States, allowing hundreds of U.S.-bound migrants to pass through the Central American country to the U.S. southern border. Nicaragua's geographic location allows migrants to bypass the Darien Gap entirely. The Darien Gap is a dangerous jungle trail that Panama shares with Colombia and the only remaining land bridge between South and Central America, used by hundreds of thousands of U.S.-bound migrants in recent years. .
Policies include lifting entry visa requirements for most foreign nationals and establishing charter flight route agreements with several countries. libyacharging fee and “fine'' he told migrants arriving in the United States through Managua's international airport. With this “fine”, the communist regime's airport authorities overturn A fiscal deficit that has continued for more than 10 years.
expert believe Ortega's “weaponization” of migrants is said to be aimed at pressuring the United States to lift sanctions against the communist regime.
Senator Rubio emphasized that Nicaragua is “directly contributing” to the migrant crisis at the US southern border. That's because Nicaragua “is a point of entry for people from all over the world, with visa-free entry and a $1,000 fee,” he said. Everything that is in effect today goes into the immigration channel from there and enters the United States. ”
The senator also expressed concern about Russia's growing presence in Nicaragua under the auspices of the Ortega government.
“Nicaraguans are basically inviting Russia to establish a military in Nicaragua, in our hemisphere. This is a threat to our national security and we have to deal with it,” Rubio stressed. .
Ortega publicly admitted In the past, his government received help from Russia to crack down on dissidents during the 2018 wave of anti-communist protests in Nicaragua. 300 dead.
According to a report published in 2024, Ortega signed several agreements with Russia that force the Russian authorities to strengthen Nicaragua's repressive apparatus; March, Ortega administration approved The construction of a Russian-made, funded, and manned “guidance center” for the Nicaraguan police has been widely denounced by local media and experts as a possible Russian spy agency. The site would potentially allow Russia to “not only expand its operations beyond Nicaragua, perhaps to other countries of interest in Central America and the Caribbean, but also to confront the United States more closely.” they argued.
Report published in August From local newspaper confidential Ortega's government has warned that it has allowed Russia to set up a spy center at a military base south of the capital Managua. The spy center is used to monitor embassies and uncover “traitors” who may be communist dictators, the report said.
Throughout the hearing, Sen. Rubio also criticized the Ortega administration's increasing brutality. persecution Christianity in Nicaragua. Senator Rubio emphasized that Ortega's government has declared war on the Catholic Church, saying that the Catholic Church is “the last institution that can challenge their power.”
Sen. Rubio's hearing was short interrupted The attack was carried out by people belonging to the far-left activist group Code Pink, with one of them shouting in Spanish, “Children in Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela are being killed because of Marco Rubio's sanctions,'' before being taken away. It was done. Mr. Rubio joked that he was a special candidate because he would bring “bilingual protests” to Congress.
A far-left group known for friendly bond With the socialist government of Venezuela, called Protest against Mr. Rubio's confirmation hearing for secretary of state, in which he endorsed “tough sanctions” against three Latin American dictatorships and an “aggressive stance” toward Gaza.
Christian K. Caruso is a Venezuelan writer who chronicles life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.