Nicaragua's Totalitarian Regime: A Threat to Faith, Freedom, and U.S. Security

The Sandinista regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo in Nicaragua has consolidated

into a totalitarian security threat. What began as a crackdown on political dissent after the

2018 protests has expanded into a broader campaign against institutions that maintain

independence from state control, and has created a haven for foreign adversaries as well

as an aggressive oppressor of the Christian faith.

The regime has targeted the Catholic Church with unprecedented hostility, directing

particular fury at clergy who offer sanctuary to peaceful protesters. Bishop Rolando

Álvarez of Matagalpa–a courageous voice against human rights abuses–was subjected to

house arrest, stripped of his citizenship,and sentenced to 26 years in prison for "treason"

and "spreading false news" in a sham legal proceeding after refusing voluntary exile. Held in

solitary confinement at the notorious El Modelo prison, he was eventually banished to the

Vatican alongside dozens of priests. The paranoia of the dictatorship reached absurd

heights with the arrest of Bishop Isidoro Mora of Siuna; his sole"crime" was publicly

mentioning Bishop Álvarez in a sermon and stating that the diocese was praying for him.

Beyond individual clergy, the regime has systematically stripped the Church of its physical

footprint: confiscating the $77 million Jesuit-run Central American University (UCA),expelling Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, shuttering Catholic radio stations, and

banning public Holy Week processions outright.

The persecution extends aggressively to Protestant and Evangelical movements. In

December, police raided the ministry and arrested 11 Nicaraguan pastors and staff

members, charging them with "aggravated money laundering" and "organized crime."

The pastors were sentenced to 12 to 15 years in prison and handed surreal $80 million fines per

person.

The Ortega-Murillo regime has dismantled civil society by canceling the legal status of

more than 5,500 NGOs, including hundreds of religious organizations. Over 250 Catholic

clergy and religious figures have been exiled, expelled, or denied re-entry, while

Evangelical leaders have also faced persecution. With the removal of tax exemptions for

religious institutions the regime has turned administrative law into an instrument of total

expropriation.

The Ortega-Murillo regime’s actions also pose broader threats to U.S. border security and

regional stability. Managua’s international airport has become a major transit point for

migrants from countries such as Haiti and Cuba, allowing thousands to bypass the Darién

Gap while generating significant fees for the government. Meanwhile, police resources

have been redirected from drug interdiction to surveillance of churches and religious

groups, potentially weakening efforts against cartel activity. Nicaragua has also expanded

defense, intelligence-sharing, and satellite cooperation with Iran, increasing Tehran’s

security presence in the Western Hemisphere.

Countering this totalitarian axis requires moving past passive diplomatic statements to

execute decisive economic and legal disruption: America should suspend trade with

Nicaragua under CAFTA-DR and impose steep tariffs on key exports such as gold, beef, and

coffee. The U.S. should also sanction charter airlines, aviation providers, and travel

agencies involved in facilitating migrant routes through Managua, while applying targeted

Global Magnitsky sanctions against police leaders, judges, and military officers responsible

for persecuting clergy, confiscating church property, and cooperating with Iranian security

officials. The United States cannot allow a hostile dictatorship to persecute Christians,

empower American adversaries, and undermine regional security without consequences.

Let us pray for Nicaraguan people and the spread and hope of the gospel.