Toronto Star
· collected 2026-10-06 · by Megan Janetsky The Associated Press
A Nicaraguan exile named Jeffrey Jarquín, who faced imprisonment and torture after protesting against his government, was deported by the U.S. back to Nicaragua where he was immediately re-imprisoned. He had sought asylum in the U.S., but his case was rejected; he was then detained at an immigration center known for harsh conditions before being deported. The deportation has drawn criticism as it occurred during a period when the U.S. government, particularly under the Trump administration, has been vocal about Nicaragua’s human rights abuses and labeled its government a dictatorship.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Jeffrey Jarquín, a 35-year-old former political prisoner and torture victim from Nicaragua who had sought refuge in the U.S., was recently deported back to his home country. After being taken off the deportation flight in Managua last week, he was immediately arrested and sent to Modelo prison, where he previously suffered severe mistreatment including genital burns with cigarette butts. Human rights advocates argue that deporting individuals like Jarquín to Nicaragua violates international protections against “refoulement,” which prohibits returning someone to a country where they face persecution or torture. Between January and July 2026, U.S. deportations to Nicaragua more than doubled compared to the same period in 2025, according to Human Rights Watch. This trend raises concerns about the Trump administration’s approach to handling asylum seekers from authoritarian regimes.
Written for “Nicaragua Political Prisoner Deported” on 2026-10-06,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but all 2 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 59216: attributed speech only · logged 2026-10-06
A Nicaraguan exile who was imprisoned and tortured after protesting against the government was deported by the U.S. back to his country, where he was immediately imprisoned once again by authorities, family members and his lawyer confirmed Monday.
asserted
members → imprison → authorities
Upon climbing off the U.S. deportation flight in Managua, Nicaragua’s capital, last week, 35-year-old Jeffrey Jarquín was taken by authorities back to the same prison where he was once tortured, confirmed one family member.
asserted
member → climb → prison
The family member spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity, fearing persecution by the government.
asserted
member → speak → government
Local media first reported on Jarquín’s deportation and detention.
asserted
media → report → deportation
Jarquín was a prominent figure in anti-government protests in 2018, which set off a yearslong campaign by husband-and-wife co-Presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo to crush dissent.
asserted
which → set → dissent
The government’s crackdown on critics, civil society, religious groups and virtually anyone who raised their voice has fueled the flight of more than 800,000 people from the country, according to U.N. figures.
uncertain
who → raise → figures
Osley Sallent, Jarquín’s lawyer in the U.S., confirmed the Nicaraguan exile was deported after seeking asylum in the United States.
asserted
exile → confirm → States
Jarquín was detained in 2018 with other protesters and thrown into a maximum-security prison known as El Modelo.
asserted
Jarquín → detain → Modelo
Until he was released a year later and fled to the U.S., Jarquín and others were tortured in chambers known as “tiny hell,” according to a 2019 report by the Organization of American States.
uncertain
Jarquín → release → States
Sallent said Jarquín was living in Miami when he was detained.
asserted
he → say → Miami
Before Jarquín’s asylum case was rejected by a Louisiana court in July, Sallent said he was held in Alligator Alcatraz, the Florida immigration detention center in the Everglades plagued by reports of harsh conditions.
asserted
he → reject → conditions
Sallent wasn’t able to provide more details of the asylum case.
asserted
Sallent → provide → case
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
asserted
Immigration → respond → comment
Following a request by the AP for more details on why Jarquín was imprisoned for a second time, a spokesperson for Nicaragua’s government responded: “Thank you very much!
asserted
spokesperson → follow → you
The Trump administration has long criticized the Nicaraguan government and labeled it a dictatorship, especially after authorities there canceled elections scheduled for next year.
asserted
authorities → criticize → year
Just last week, Deputy U.S. Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in remarks before the OAS that what was happening in Nicaragua was “intolerable.”
asserted
happening → say → Nicaragua
“Murillo and Ortega’s dictatorship has no place in our hemisphere,” he added.
asserted
he → have → hemisphere
Despite that, ICE has ramped up deportations to the Central American country in recent months, according to a recent Human Rights Watch report, which said the Trump administration had deported 6,300 Nicaraguans between January and July 2026.
uncertain
administration → ramp → January
The organization documented that ICE had detained least eight Nicaraguan exiles who were stripped of their citizenship in a move observers say was intended to punish critics, the report said.
asserted
report → document → critics
Some of those detained had pending asylum applications.
asserted
Some → detain → applications
Juan Pappier, deputy director of the Americas for Human Rights Watch, said the simultaneous criticisms of Nicaragua’s government and deportations of those forced to flee its repression “makes Washington look hypocritical.”
“Nicaragua has the most brutal government in the Western Hemisphere, and any government critic who is sent back is at real risk of torture or persecution,” Pappier said.
asserted
Pappier → say → torture
_
Associated Press reporter Gisela Salomon contributed to this report from Miami.
asserted
Salomon → contribute → Miami
The Aporia
