The Facts

• Following negotiations with the Nicaraguan government, the United States successfully obtained the release of several political prisoners on Thursday. The White House announced Nicaragua would release 135 prisoners, all Nicaraguan citizens, from jail on humanitarian grounds.

• Nicaragua has deported the political prisoners to Guatemala before they may travel to the US or other countries. President Daniel Ortega's government has since 2018 increasingly cracked down on the opposition and exiled many opposition members.

• The Nicaraguan government has shut down over 5K NGOs, private universities, and civil society organizations. The government has unlawfully detained priests and pastors, sometimes hauling them away during Mass.