Nicaragua is ‘weaponizing’ US-bound migrants as Haitians pour in on charter flights, observers say

By MEGAN JANETSKY
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Flight data shows that more than 260 charter flights believed to be carrying migrants from Haiti have touched down in Nicaragua in recent months. That adds to a historic crush of migration by people hoping to reach the U.S. The flow of migrants has left the Biden administration and Latin American leaders scrambling for solutions. And experts say it’s also being used as leverage by governments like Nicaragua’s to get concessions from the U.S. amid tightening sanctions. Nicaragua has long been used as a migratory springboard for people fleeing struggling Caribbean nations like Cuba and Haiti, because it is one of the few countries that doesn’t require visas for many of them to enter.