Los Angeles Times
· collected 2026-10-05 · by Kate Linthicum, Ismael López
Story summary
Jeffrey Jarquín, a 35-year-old former political prisoner from Nicaragua, was deported back to his country by the U.S. and immediately arrested upon arrival. He had previously been tortured for opposing President Daniel Ortega during anti-government protests in 2018. Human rights advocates are concerned that deportations like Jarquín’s violate international laws against "refoulement," which prohibits sending individuals back to countries where they face persecution or torture.
In the first seven months of 2026, U.S. deportations to Nicaragua more than doubled compared to the same period in 2025, according to Human Rights Watch. This trend has raised alarm among activists who warn that such actions could endanger the lives and well-being of those returned to a country with severe human rights abuses. Jarquín’s case highlights these fears, as he was imprisoned for nine months after his initial arrest and faced torture while incarcerated.
The deportation of individuals like Jarquín underscores broader concerns about U.S. immigration policies under the Trump administration, which have led to over 25,000 people being expelled to "third countries," some of which are conflict-ridden nations where deportees may face significant danger or persecution.
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- Jeffrey Jarquín, a former Nicaraguan political prisoner who said he was tortured for opposing President Daniel Ortega, was jailed at Managua’s Modelo prison immediately after the U.S. deported him.
- His case underscores growing concern that the Trump administration is deporting Nicaraguans to a country where they face persecution, despite international protections against forced returns.
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they → click → returns
- U.S. deportations to Nicaragua more than doubled in the first seven months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to Human Rights Watch.
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deportations → double → Watch
A former political prisoner who said he was tortured for leading protests against Nicaragua’s authoritarian government was arrested and jailed immediately after he was deported there from the United States last week, according to relatives and human rights advocates.
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he → say → relatives
Jeffrey Jarquín, 35, was taken directly from the deportation flight to Nicaragua’s notorious Modelo prison, where he had been held previously for participating in pro-democracy marches that were violently repressed by President Daniel Ortega.
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that → take → Ortega
Jarquín was among thousands of Nicaraguans who took to the streets in 2018 to demand Ortega’s resignation and free elections.
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who → take → resignation
He helped occupy two public universities, and later took refugee inside a small Catholic church as it came under fire from pro-government militia forces — an incident that became emblematic of the country’s embattled protest movement.
More than 25,000 people have been expelled to ‘third countries’ under Trump, including to dangerous and conflict-ridden nations such as the Central Africa Republic.
Jarquín was imprisoned for nine months, and later told journalists and human rights investigators that guards burned his genitals with cigarette butts.
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guards → help → butts
He was released in 2019, spent a short period in Costa Rica and later sought political asylum in the United States.
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He → release → States
The Trump administration has levied sanctions on Ortega and his family members and has repeatedly criticized his government, with Juan Pablo Segura, deputy assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs, describing it recently as a “brutal dictatorship that is stealing, lying and murdering.”
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that → levy → dictatorship
Yet journalists, human rights advocates and political dissidents who were persecuted for promoting democracy in Nicaragua are increasingly being targeted for deportation as the Trump administration narrows access to asylum and expands the pool of migrants eligible for removal.
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administration → persecute → removal
U.S. immigration agents have recently begun arresting members of a high-profile group of Nicaraguan political prisoners who were freed in a 2023 State Department deal, flown to the U.S. and granted temporary humanitarian parole and the chance to apply for asylum.
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who → begin → asylum
The U.S. has sent some Nicaraguan migrants as far away as Africa under a Trump administration program that deports asylum seekers and others to “third countries” where they have no ties.
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they → send → ties
Journalists, human rights advocates and dissidents who were persecuted in Nicaragua and sought safety in the U.S. are increasingly being targeted for deportation.
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who → persecute → deportation
But other Nicaraguans are being sent home, despite warnings from human rights advocates that such deportations may violate the international ban on “refoulement” — returning someone to a country where they face persecution or torture.
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they → send → persecution
“The United States sent him to the very prisons where he had already been tortured,” said Muriel Sáenz, an activist who represented Jarquín during an immigration bond hearing.
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who → send → hearing
Jarquín, she said, is a victim of political persecution who has been sent “back into the hands of his tormentors.”
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who → say → tormentors
Jarquín was arrested in Miami in February after being accused of assault.
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Jarquín → arrest → assault
A judge dismissed the case, but while Jarquín was detained, immigration agents initiated deportation proceedings against him.
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agents → dismiss → him
An immigration judge denied him asylum, according to his advocates.
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judge → deny → advocates
They said Jarquín agreed to be deported but asked to be sent to a third country.
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Jarquín → say → country
Instead he was put on a plane to Managua last week.
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he → put → Managua
U.S. deportations to Nicaragua have risen sharply under Trump.
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deportations → rise → Trump
An analysis of government data by Human Rights Watch found that the U.S. deported more than 6,300 Nicaraguans between January and July of this year, compared with 3,323 during the same period in 2025.
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U.S. → find → 2025
In Miami’s Nicaraguan community, Jarquín was known as a vocal opponent of the Sandinista regime, often carrying a megaphone to protests.
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Jarquín → know → protests
He posted photos on social media of himself alongside U.S. Republican leaders who have also criticized Ortega, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
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who → post → Rubio
At 81, Ortega is the longest-serving leader in the Americas.
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Ortega → serve → Americas
He rules the country with his co-president and wife, Rosario Murillo.
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He → rule → president
The pair, former revolutionaries who decades ago helped overthrow a brutal right-wing dictatorship, have tightened their grip on power in recent years, closing media outlets and nongovernmental organizations and jailing or expelling virtually all of their political opponents.
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who → help → opponents
Nicaragua’s government did not respond to inquiries about the Jarquín case.
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government → respond → case
His friends and family members say they don’t know when they will see him again.
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they → say → him
“His life is in danger back in Nicaragua,” said Ronmell López, a friend.
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López → say → Nicaragua
“We demand that the dictatorship ... respect his life and safety.”
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dictatorship → demand → life
“For Nicaraguan deportees, the risk of persecution is real,” said Juan Pappier, deputy director of the Americas division at Human Rights Watch.
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Pappier → say → Watch
“The United States government knows Nicaragua is one of the most authoritarian governments in the hemisphere and should take robust steps to ensure nobody is sent back to torture or abuse.”
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nobody → know → torture
Linthicum reported from Mexico City.
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Linthicum → report → City
López reported from Jacksonville, Fla.
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López → report → Jacksonville
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