US Imposes Travel Ban on 100+ Nicaraguan Officials After Rivera's Death in Custody

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa restrictions on more than 100 additional Nicaraguan officials and family members on June 8, 2026, in direct response to the death in custody of Indigenous Miskito leader Brooklyn Rivera. The State Department said it 'will not ignore' the Ortega-Murillo government's responsibility for Rivera's 'horrific death' and cited the death of an imprisoned activist as the immediate trigger. The action brought the cumulative total of Nicaraguan officials and associates under US visa restrictions since 2018 to more than 2,350, making it one of the broadest individual-sanctions campaigns the US has run against any Latin American government.