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India to US via Nicaragua: 'Donkey route' and illegal immigration springboard explained
Often facilitated by agents, Nicaragua's porous border and weak visa policies make it a hot destination to be used as a donkey route
Central America's small nation of Nicaragua is back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons after an Indian flight to the country was grounded over allegations of carrying illegal immigrants.
In recent years, the small nation bordering the Caribbean has seen a surge in immigrants, not to settle - but to cross over. Although it is a hot destination for those seeking real estate investment properties, there's also a negative reason behind the recent crowd. Many use it as a “donkey route” to illegally cross over to the US.
Why are people travelling to Nicaragua?
The surge of travellers in Nicaragua is due to several reasons, be it an off-beat getaway or business opportunities. However, on the downside, many use this beautiful Central American nation as a springboard for illegal immigration into the United States and Canada.
Often facilitated by agents, Nicaragua's porous border and weak visa policies make it a hot destination to be used as a donkey route, allowing migrants to reach countries neighbouring the US and Canada. Once the illegal migrants reach there, they cross the American and Canadian borders on foot.
Do Indians need visas for Nicaragua?
An MEA document signed by Pranab Mukherjee shows an agreement between the India and Nicaragua governments allowing Indian passport holders to enter the country without a visa. However, another report says the Nicaragua embassy does not issue Tourist visas. So, Indians having valid USA/UK/Schengen visas can get Nicaragua visas on arrival. This ambiguity of visa rules and a porous border has made it a good haven for illegal immigration.
How is Nicaragua ‘weaponising’ illegal immigration to US?
Of late, Nicaragua has emerged as a migratory springboard with relaxed entry requirements that allow Indians and a handful of other foreign nationals to purchase a low-cost visa without proof of onward travel.
According to an AP report, over 260 charter flights believed to be carrying migrants from Haiti have touched down in Nicaragua in recent months. “The Ortega government knows they have few important policy tools at hand to confront the United States, ... so they have armed migration as a way to attack,” said Manuel Orozco, director of the migration, remittances and development program at the Inter-American Dialogue told AP. “This is definitely a concrete example of weaponizing migration as a foreign policy.”
AP investigation further unveiled, a “shadow industry” of charter flights moving ‘donkey travellers’ around the Americas. These migrants land at Managua airport, from where they are smuggled north. Mostly near Mexico, from where they try crossing the border on foot.
South American travel agencies use planes from low-budget Latin American airlines as donkey flights.
Indians form third largest illegal immigrant community in US
According to the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), 96,917 Indians were arrested while attempting to enter the US illegally in 2023 alone. Indians form the third largest illegal immigrants in the US, numbering around 725,000. The report goes on to elaborate that most cross over into the country barefoot. 30,010 arrests were at the Canadian border and 41,770 at the Southern border.
