Exiled Nicaraguan Journalist Detained by US Immigration Agents in Florida

Nicaraguan journalist Luis Galeano has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Florida, according to his wife, Daykel Santamaría, who said agents pulled him over while he was driving for the ride-hailing service Lyft.

Galeano is one of at least 94 Nicaraguans who have been stripped of their citizenship by the government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo in recent years as part of a crackdown on perceived opponents of the ruling Sandinista party, according to the report.

The journalist fled Nicaragua and arrived in the United States in 2018. Since then, he has continued to report critically on the Sandinista government through his online platform, Café con voz, according to the report.

Santamaría said her husband has had an asylum application pending for approximately seven years and holds both a valid work permit and a social security number.

Details on the specific circumstances leading to Galeano's stop and detention, as well as any charges or basis cited by ICE for holding him, were not immediately available. The Guardian reported that it was seeking further comment on the case.

The detention comes amid continued scrutiny of the Ortega-Murillo government's treatment of journalists and dissidents, many of whom have sought exile in the United States and elsewhere after being targeted for their reporting or activism.