The Caracas-Managua route operated by Venezuela’s state-run Conviasa Airlines will increase the flow of migrants trying to reach the United States, officials said. report Nicaraguan newspaper publication la prensa on wednesday.
Nicaragua’s communist dictator Daniel Ortega has in recent years allowed immigrants bound for the United States to freely transit through Nicaragua. The experts are was suggested Ortega said he was trying to use immigration as a “golden opportunity” negotiating tool to negotiate possible sanctions relief with the United States.
Nicaragua has become an alternative route for migrants trying to reach the U.S. territory because it allows them to avoid passing through the dangerous Darien Gap jungle trail between Colombia and Panama.
Immigrants from Haiti, India, African countries, etc. senegal Additionally, an increasing number of African and Indian immigrants are arriving by air to Nicaragua and then reaching the United States via Nicaragua, despite the long and expensive journey. Nicaragua has no entry visa requirements for most countries. Experts also condemned Ortega’s government is reportedly charging each immigrant $200 to use the country’s airports.
Conviasa’s new biweekly Sunday and Tuesday flights between Venezuela and Nicaragua will begin operations on Sunday, May 5, according to promotional materials published by Conviasa on social media. According to the flight route, la prensa, with a stop in Havana, Cuba. Cubans began using Nicaragua starting in 2022 after the Ortega government canceled entry visa requirements for Cuban nationals. President Barack Obama ended a policy that allowed Cubans who came into contact with U.S. soil via water to remain legally in the country, creating a new flow of Cuban refugees through the southern border.
#Sabiasque || #Managua Important historical sites include the Revolution Square, the Palace of Culture and the National Museum.
Conocera! Adquiere tu boleto en https://t.co/M3KXiUtSuC pic.twitter.com/bEPS3rluFG
— Línea Aérea Conviasa (@LAConviasa) April 29, 2024
Conviasa currently operates flights from Havana to Managua on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The new route would provide virtually daily flights to Nicaragua on Venezuela’s national airline, opening the door for Venezuelan migrants fleeing the socialist regime to potentially head north without having to cross the Darien Valley. Become. Venezuela’s socialist policies have created what is widely described as the Western Hemisphere’s worst migration crisis, currently comparable to those in Syria and Ukraine.
Venezuela maintains limited International connectivity with direct flights to and from the US Paused From 2019.
la prensa reported that the United States is now establishing a new flight connection between Caracas and Managua. trying Stop using international airlines to bring immigrants from Nicaragua.
Those efforts appear to have had little effect, according to official data reviewed by the newspaper.
in JanuaryStatistics from the Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN) show that Managua’s international airport has increased in the number of “tourists” arriving in the country, despite no reported local evidence suggesting an actual increase in tourist activity in the country. He showed that he continues to “update records.” .
According to BCN statistics, 241,700 people arrived at the airport in September and October 2023 alone, but only 94,500 left Nicaragua by air, and about 147,200 left by land. That means you did it.
Between January and February 2024, la prensa Based on BCN statistics, approximately 130,000 passengers arrived by air, of which 119,300 departed on outbound flights, with a difference of approximately 11,000 migrants. , may have chosen to travel overland to the United States.
la prensa He explained that this difference of 11,000 people is similar to the difference recorded during the same period in 2023, when approximately 10,900 passengers did not leave Nicaragua by air.
The Nicaraguan newspaper also noted that Ecuadorian immigrants fleeing countries plagued by crime and gangs are also beginning to use Nicaragua to enter the United States. According to statistics from the Nicaraguan Tourism Institute (INTUR), 44,221 Ecuadorian nationals used Managua’s international airport in 2022, up from 2,215 in 2017, an increase of 1,900%.
El Salvador is one of the countries that Indian and African immigrants use as a temporary bridge to Nicaragua and then the United States. dignified In order to curb the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States, a $1,000 tariff will be imposed on travelers from those countries starting October 2023.
The decision to impose the tariffs came after local authorities detected an increase in the number of Indian and African passengers at the airport compared to previous years.
Former President Donald Trump’s administration authorized Venezuelan national Conviasa Airlines The airline was also discontinued in 2020 as the regime continued to use it to “transport corrupt regime officials around the world to drum up support for anti-democratic initiatives.” .
US President Joe Biden’s administration Partially lifted up November’s sanctions were part of a flimsy package agreement Cooperating with the Maduro regime in deporting Venezuelan immigrants.maduro government broken A deportation agreement was signed in February and the country has reportedly refused to repatriate migrants ever since.
Christian K. Caruso is a Venezuelan writer who chronicles life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
