The Biden-Harris administration’s policies have drawn an estimated 10% of Nicaragua’s working-age men into the U.S., weakening Nicaragua’s economy and opposition.
The U.S. has seen a significant influx of Nicaraguan migrants under the Biden-Harris administration, with an estimated 334,000 single adults crossing the U.S. border since January 2021, according to Department of Homeland Security data. Roughly 75% of these migrants are men, representing about 10% of Nicaragua’s working-age male population. This demographic shift has left Nicaragua facing a depleted workforce and weakened opposition to President Daniel Ortega’s authoritarian rule.
For many Nicaraguans, the U.S. job market offers economic opportunities that are scarce at home, where economic and democratic deterioration continues under Ortega. In Milwaukee, Nicaraguan migrant Enock Mendez, 22, works multiple jobs while pursuing a marine biology degree. “I left everything I knew behind — my family, my career, everything — but it was definitely worth it,” Mendez told the San Antonio Express-News on October 29.
In recent years, Nicaraguan migrants have helped boost the U.S. consumer economy and also supported Nicaragua’s economy through record remittances. In December 2023, Reuters reported that remittances reached $4.24 billion in just the first 11 months of 2023 — a 47% increase from the previous year. This surge in remittances accounted for 33% of Nicaragua’s economy in 2023, nearly doubling the economic impact of remittances during the Trump administration, according to World Bank data.
However, the migration trend raises concerns over Nicaragua’s economic stability and democratic resilience. Nicaragua’s migration crisis has been intensified by a “humanitarian parole” program initiated by U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas in 2022, which has enabled over 1.3 million migrants from various countries to enter the U.S., including substantial numbers from Nicaragua, Cuba, and Haiti. This strategy, critics argue, drains Nicaragua of young workers and opposition activists who might otherwise challenge Ortega’s rule. “[Nicaragua’s] dictator benefits both politically and economically from the exodus,” notes political analyst Roberto Rodríguez, emphasizing how opposition forces are weakened by the migration wave.
6.5% of Nicaragua's entire population has entered the USA during the Biden-Harris administration. pic.twitter.com/lCS7oPlUUr
— ~~datahazard~~ (@fentasyl) October 28, 2024
In addition to economic strains, Ortega has reportedly used the U.S. migration policy to deport political dissidents. Adolfo Román García García, an exiled Nicaraguan activist, shared his experiences with KUNC.org, describing how he and others were deported in 2023 under a sweeping political crackdown. García, one of 222 political prisoners expelled from Nicaragua last February, is now settled in Silverthorne, Colorado. “They are using the U.S. migration system to silence opposition voices,” García explained, referencing how Ortega’s government has purged activists, clergy, and journalists.
Nicaragua’s open borders allow global migrants to pass through Nicaragua into Mexico, creating a pathway for migrants from around the world to reach the U.S., particularly as the U.S. elections approach. Ortega’s control over migration flows has effectively made Nicaragua a transit hub, intensifying diplomatic complexity for the Biden administration. While previous U.S. administrations have tried to pressure Ortega, the Biden administration has avoided direct confrontations, contrasting with Ronald Reagan’s support of anti-Ortega forces in the 1980s.
As the political landscape evolves, Mayorkas has defended the administration’s pro-migration stance, citing personal experiences and a belief in “equity” for migrants. “[The U.S.] is suffering from outdated caps on labor-driven visas that no longer meet the market’s demands,” Mayorkas remarked in a recent interview, referencing his admiration for Canada’s flexible visa policy, which accommodates annual labor needs, according to Breitbart. However, this policy has come under fire from both sides of the U.S. political spectrum, especially as reports indicate the continued impact of migration on American wages and job opportunities.
With the current humanitarian parole program, Biden’s administration has facilitated significant demographic shifts in both the U.S. and Nicaragua, reflecting a broader approach to migration that impacts communities across the Americas.
