Nicaragua blocks pathway used by Cuban migrants to reach the US

11 Feb 2026 By foxnews

Nicaragua's government has blocked Cuban citizens from entering the Central American country without a visa in a move that eliminates a route for Cuban migration into the U.S.

For years, Cuban migrants would fly to Nicaragua and meet up with smugglers, who would then help them migrate north through Central America and Mexico to get to the U.S. border, according to The Associated Press.

However, Nicaragua's government confirmed to the AP that on Sunday it suspended an exemption that allows Cubans to enter Nicaragua without a visa.

Nicaragua's move comes after President Donald Trump in late January declared a national emergency via an executive order over Cuba, accusing the communist regime there of aligning with hostile foreign powers and terrorist groups while moving to punish countries that supply the island nation with oil.

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What remains for Cuban migrants is primarily Guyana, a small South American nation where Cubans have also traveled in order to reach the U.S.

From Guyana, migrants normally travel through the perilous jungle trenches of the Darien Gap dividing Colombia and Panama.

In the past, migrants with few other options have also taken precarious boat rides from Cuba to Florida's coast.

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In Trump's executive order, the president said Cuba aligns itself with and provides support for "numerous hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups, and malign actors adverse to the United States," naming Russia, China, Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah.

The administration said Cuba hosts Russia's largest overseas signals intelligence facility, which the order states attempts to steal sensitive U.S. national security information.

Last November, Trump wrote on Truth Social, "Democracy is on trial in the coming Elections in the beautiful country of Honduras on November 30th."

"Will Maduro and his Narcoterrorists take over another country like they have taken over Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela?" he asked.

Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro was captured in a U.S. military operation in early January.

Fox News Digital's Jasmine Baehr and The Associated Press contributed to this report.