In the parish of Saint Agatha in Miami, Father Marcos Somarriba, a refugee since his adolescence due to the Sandinista revolution who became a priest, now raises his voice for his brothers and sisters who remain in Nicaragua. He recounts the anguish of distraught Nicaraguans: they are victims of arbitrary arrests, forced exile, some simply "disappear," as the priest soberly states. The Ortega and Murillo regime imposes the shadow of totalitarianism, closing the doors to return, to hope, digging into the hearts of exiles a feeling of powerlessness. Those who have stayed, he says, know neither where to go nor what to do, and find the country less safe than it was forty-five years ago, when he fled it.
TPS: Protected Status Threatened, Dreams Shattered
Following the devastating hurricane of 1998, which left more than 3,800 dead and half a million homeless, the United States granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to many Nicaraguans. This measure protected them from deportation, allowed them to work, but did not lead them to citizenship.
Today, in light of the supposed improvement of conditions in their country, U.S. authorities, under the Trump administration, are ending TPS for these nationals, many of whom have lived in the United States for decades. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) justifies the measure: the disaster that triggered their arrival is over. However, a federal judge has granted a reprieve: the protection is extended until November 18, 2025.
For Father Somarriba, the situation has not improved at all in Nicaragua. On the contrary, he describes a country in the grip of a fierce persecution of its own population, "horrible," and unprecedented in its recent history.
The Ortega-Murillo Regime: Abolition of Freedoms, Relentless Oppression
The persecution is not only political, it is also religious. The UN Human Rights Council warned, in February 2025, of serious violations of fundamental rights: dissolution of institutions, repression of opponents, the increasingly authoritarian stance of the regime.
Official reports show that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom speaks of an "abominable" treatment of the faithful, including arbitrary arrests of clergy and intimidation measures aimed at preventing the exercise of faith.
Since 2018, more than 5,400 NGOs have had their legal status revoked, many of them Christian or Catholic. There are reports of the dissolution of religious congregations (including the Sisters of Charity of Mother Teresa), the closure of Catholic radio stations, and the media suppression of any Catholic voice.
Martha Patricia Molina, a specialized lawyer and author of Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church, testifies:
"The only answer the dictatorship has for us is prison, the cemetery, or exile."
She describes religious practice under constant surveillance; faith can only be expressed within the walls of the church, under penalty of arrest. Processions banned, faithful spied on, photographed during Mass; freedom of worship is now but a mirage.
Exiled Clergy and Political Prisoners: Reconciliation and Precariousness
In 2023, the Biden administration negotiated a nighttime release of 222 political prisoners, including six priests and two seminarians, placed on a humanitarian flight to the United States. But their status remains fragile: they only benefit from temporary humanitarian parole, without work permits or official asylum status.
John Feeley, former ambassador, points out that these are "irrefutable evidence of a right to asylum": individuals imprisoned by a dictatorial regime, for nothing other than their faith or opposition. Yet, some must now seek exile elsewhere, for lack of a clear path forward.
The U.S. administration, through the State Department, courageously condemns these violations; but the DHS, for its part, remains silent on the future of these men with precarious status.
Calls to Prayer, Action, Mercy
Father Somarriba lives at the heart of a Nicaraguan community exhausted by exile, where exiled seminarians and bishops, such as Auxiliary Bishop Silvio José Báez Ortega, find refuge and continue their ministry, notably nearby at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary.
The priest does not hesitate to exhort the United States: these people fled injustice, they should receive the welcome of asylum, with dignity, in truth. He weaves connections between exile, prayer, hope, and action, like a missionary in a broken world.