Stories
Nicaraguan Torture Victim Imprisoned Again After US Deportation
- •Jeffrey Jarquín, a 35-year-old Nicaraguan exile and former anti-government protester, was deported by the US back to Nicaragua last week.
- •Upon arriving in Managua, Jarquín was immediately imprisoned in the same maximum-security facility where he was previously subjected to torture.
- •Jarquín had actively participated in the 2018 protests against the government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo before fleeing to the United States.
- •His US lawyer, Osley Sallent, confirmed that Jarquín was living in Miami and had his asylum request rejected by a Louisiana court in July.
- •Human Rights Watch criticized Washington for deporting critics back to Nicaragua despite the country's brutal repression and risks of torture.
Key Questions Answered
Jeffrey Jarquín was imprisoned for a second time after being deported back to Nicaragua by the United States last week. Upon arriving on a deportation flight in Managua, he was taken by authorities straight back to El Modelo, the same maximum-security prison where he had previously been tortured following his involvement in anti-government protests.
Jeffrey Jarquín's asylum case was rejected by a Louisiana court in July. Prior to the court's decision, his US lawyer stated that Jarquín was held in a Florida immigration detention center in the Everglades known as Alligator Alcatraz.
According to a recent Human Rights Watch report, the Trump administration deported 6,300 Nicaraguans between January and July 2026. The organization also documented that ICE had detained at least eight Nicaraguan exiles who had been stripped of their citizenship, including some with pending asylum applications.
