Juan Emilio Rivas

Rule Changes

Signed order terminating visa-free entry

On February 8, 2026, Nicaragua canceled its visa-free entry policy for Cuban citizens, closing a corridor that had let more than 400,000 Cubans fly directly into Central America and begin overland journeys toward the United States. The Ortega government acted under sustained pressure from Washington, ending a four-year arrangement that had made Managua the last easy air route off the island for Cubans seeking to leave without a US visa. Havana called the reversal a betrayal; Washington treated it as a quiet win in its campaign to shut down alternative migration channels.

Updated Apr 23