U.S. Official Says Nicaragua Poses Most Challenge on Migration

On Thursday, we brought you an interview with the U.S. State Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Eric Jacobstein. The U.S. official met this week with the Belizean and Guatemalan ministers of government to discuss matters of regional and national concern. Regional migration is an issue that has posed major challenges for countries to combat, and while Belize and the other countries have their own shortcomings, Jacobstein told News Five that Nicaragua is the most problematic to deal with.

 

Eric Jacobstein, Dep. Asst. Sec., Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S State Dept.

“Nicaragua is a major challenge for us. Nicaragua is a country – the Ortega/ Murrillo regime has – essentially continues to pray off vulnerable migrants. So that is a major concern. We’ve particularly been concerned by charter flights, charter airlines who are essentially allowing individuals to come in. They pay for visa, and then they continue their journey north. So in response, the Biden/Harris administration has taken major steps, including the State Department. We have a new policy in which we have revoked visas for executives of certain charter airlines who are clearly profiting off vulnerable migrants.”