Nicaraguan Consulate in Los Angeles Closed by Ortega
The Nicaraguan consulate in Los Angeles, California, “ceases functions” according to a notice posted on the consular office door. The document does not explain the reasons for the closure, but opposition activists based in Los Angeles suggest that it may be due to political reprisals against Nicaraguans who have gone into exile or have moved via humanitarian parole.
HAVANA TIMES – The Consulate General of the Republic of Nicaragua in Los Angeles, California, hereby informs all its compatriots that the Consulate in the City of Los Angeles ceases functions from today, January 19, 2024. The notice instructs Nicaraguans to direct any consular procedures to “our offices in the cities of Miami, Washington, or New York.”
The lack of users due to mistreatment, poor service, and political reasons could be part of the Nicaraguan regime’s decision to close the consulate in Los Angeles, a city where thousands of Nicaraguans live and where dozens of marches against the dictatorship have taken place.
Gretel Campbell, an opposition activist and member of the diaspora, has been part of the group of Nicaraguans who have mobilized in protest against the regime at the consulate.
“To me, the closure is because the majority of Nicaraguans living in southern California do not identify with the regime. Most of us are against what is happening in Nicaragua. Many of us stopped using the consulate’s services. While it is true that a large number of Nicaraguans have emigrated, most cannot go to the consulate. I think that is one of the reasons – they were not actively serving the community,” Campbell told 100% Noticias.
She also believes that it may be part of the regime’s persecution with the approval in the National Assembly of Article 21 of the constitution that establishes the loss of nationality for “betrayal of the homeland.”
“Considering the laws they passed that make those they consider traitors no longer Nicaraguans, it is part of the pressure on Nicaraguans who are abroad and speak out against the regime,” highlighted Campbell.
