Why this matters
Deporting him would hand him to the regime he fled
Luis Galeano’s case is a test of whether the United States protects persecuted journalists who seek refuge on its soil.
A real danger
Nicaragua is in a deep press freedom crisis. According to CPJ, an estimated 268 Nicaraguan journalists have been driven into exile. The Ortega-Murillo regime ordered Galeano’s arrest, branded him a “traitor to the homeland,” stripped him of his citizenship and confiscated his property.
“Deporting [Galeano] to Nicaragua would be a death sentence.”
A troubling pattern
Galeano holds a work permit and has had an asylum claim pending for seven years, according to his family. CPJ sees his detention as part of a pattern in which U.S. immigration authorities have targeted journalists.
“This detention fits into a troubling pattern in which the Trump administration has wielded immigration enforcement against members of the press. It is critical that journalists who have sought asylum in the United States after fleeing persecution for their journalistic work are protected, not treated as targets for immigration enforcement.”
A broad call
Press freedom and human rights organizations, as well as members of Congress from across the immigration debate, have called for his case to be reviewed:
- Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on ICE to release him. Statement.
- Inter American Press Association (IAPA): his detention “demands a response that takes into account his status as a persecuted and exiled journalist.” Statement.
- Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.): “America must always know the difference between a criminal and a political exile.” The Guardian.
- Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.): “We can and must enforce our immigration laws, while ensuring that those escaping socialist dictatorships are not sent back into the hands of repressive regimes.” EL PAÍS English.
- Ana María Méndez Dardón, Central America director at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA): the detention is one example of “how due process is missing from the right to asylum.” The Guardian.