“They Say We’ll Be the First”: Nicaraguans with Humanitarian Parole Caught Between Fear of Detention and Deportation

In just two weeks since Donald Trump’s return, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has already arrested more than 7,311 immigrants and issued over 5,717 detention orders, according to data shared on its social media. All signs point to a sharp rise in deportations

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Carlos has already given instructions to his nephews on what to do if he is detained and deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. First, notify his family in Nicaragua. Second, sell his car and everything in his apartment and send the money to his wife, who is also in Nicaragua. And lastly, remain vigilant and provide support to both him and his family.

He has only $800 in cash, hidden in a corner of his room. He also informed his nephews where to find the money in case they need it if he is detained. The rest of the money he earned over the past year and a half has already been sent to Nicaragua, and he left nothing in his bank account, explains Carlos, a 30-year-old from Jinotega who requested anonymity.

In just six months, his temporary residence permit, known as humanitarian parole, will expire. Although he had planned to return to Nicaragua once his permit ends in July of this year, he now faces the risk of being sent back sooner—and not under the conditions he had intended.

A recent memorandum ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump authorizes the deportation of parole beneficiaries who have not adjusted their immigration status, even if their permit has not yet expired. This changes the game for him and more than 90,000 Nicaraguans who migrated under this program.

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“I wanted to make the most of these last few months to work as much as possible and then go back, but now I don’t know if I’ll have to leave earlier because I really don’t want to be deported,” Carlos says.

“People are saying that those with parole will be the first to be deported. I’ve already accepted whatever happens. If they catch me on the street or at work, there’s nothing I can do. Once they capture you, there’s no room for negotiation,” he adds.

Between January 23 and 31, ICE arrested 7,311 immigrants and issued 5,717 detention orders simultaneously, according to the agency’s daily posts on the social network X (formerly Twitter). Amid tense discussions about deportation conditions, the first countries to receive deported immigrants have been Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil.

Initially, deportations were supposedly targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal records, but it now appears that detentions and deportations are affecting any non-regularized immigrant.

According to The Washington Post, Trump has ordered each ICE office to carry out 75 daily arrests, which “pushes” immigration agents to detain immigrants with no criminal background in order to meet the quota—violating civil and political rights in the process.

Workers Warn Each Other About Possible Raids

Since Trump took office on January 20, the presence of Department of Homeland Security agents on the streets has increased. — Divergentes | EFE

Although there has been no official announcement regarding the deportation of immigrants protected under humanitarian parole and other temporary status programs, Carlos and his coworkers joke about where they will hide if ICE agents show up.

“If ICE comes to the warehouse, I already know where I’m going to hide. I’ve picked my spot,” he says with a laugh.

In the warehouse where he works as a forklift operator, most of the workforce consists of immigrants, nearly all of them Latino. “Only the bosses and those in high positions are Americans,” he notes. Among those immigrant workers, most are undocumented. “If there are 100 people in a room, only 15 of us have work permits,” he explains.

Beyond making jokes, Carlos and his coworkers alert each other in a WhatsApp group about any suspicious activity that might indicate ICE’s presence. Carlos recalls that the night before this interview, he saw a police patrol car outside his workplace. A few hours later, another coworker reported several unmarked trucks in the same area with people wearing vests resembling those of immigration agents.

They both took pictures of the patrol car and trucks and shared them in the group to warn those leaving the warehouse. Although arrests cannot be carried out inside workplaces or homes without a warrant, they can happen in public spaces.

Since Trump took office on January 20, the presence of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents has become more visible on the streets, Carlos says. ICE agents are also increasingly operating in unmarked vehicles.

This atmosphere of fear and speculation has developed rapidly, creating an adverse environment for one of the largest immigrant communities in the U.S. California, where Carlos lives, has not been exempt from the raids.

Although California has relatively lenient immigration policies, Trump’s executive orders during his first week in office—more than 200 in total—now allow previously safe spaces like schools, hospitals, and churches to be targeted in raids.

Republican-Leaning States Are the Most Severe

Trump took office by signing over 200 executive orders on various issues, primarily related to immigration. — Divergentes | EFE

Joaquín Jiménez, former Mexican mayor of Half Moon Bay, California, and current city council member, says local authorities do not intend to cooperate with the raids but acknowledges that the situation will be much tougher for immigrants living in Republican-leaning states.

“The fear started even before Trump took office. There are reports of raids happening in California—people are being detained in Central Valley, San Jose, and San Francisco. People are afraid everywhere: in schools, businesses, and churches,” he says.

While some communities are organizing to protect immigrants, in other cities and states, they are being openly persecuted.

In Florida, fear has intensified significantly. Along with Texas and Chicago, it is one of the states reporting the highest number of detentions, according to ICE’s data on X.

For Arlen and José, a Nicaraguan couple who arrived in Miami with their two young daughters in April 2023 under the humanitarian parole program, these have been days filled with anxiety.

“There is a policy of fear and terror, and it’s being fully enforced in Florida. The governor follows Trump’s orders and even goes further to impress him,” says José.

According to them, their immigration status is “uncertain.” In other words, “we are legal, but not 100% secure. We could be the first to be deported, even if we haven’t done anything illegal,” they explain.

With new executive orders restricting immigrants’ legal stay nearly every day, they don’t know when they might suddenly fall into “illegality,” despite having entered the country legally.

Arlen, a daycare teacher, and José, who works in building maintenance, say most of their coworkers are Latino immigrants protected under various social programs allowing them to work legally. Now, those protections are at risk.

Arlen applied for asylum eight months after arriving in the U.S. to ensure her family could stay even after their parole expires in three months.

Three weeks ago, she received a work permit under her asylum application, extending her work authorization for five years while immigration authorities review her case. This change was one of Joe Biden’s last executive actions before leaving office. However, there are rumors that Trump may revoke it and accelerate asylum case processing for quicker approvals or denials.

If Arlen receives a negative response to her asylum application, her husband, daughters, and she will be subjected to another residency application process based on family ties. Her mother-in-law is a U.S. citizen and has applied for family reunification, a type of visa that could grant them permanent residency.

“We are hopeful that if one option doesn’t work out, at least the other will,” says Arlen. And more than hopeful, they feel compelled to exhaust all possible means to extend their stay in the country, having sold all their belongings in Nicaragua. She and her husband left everything behind to provide their daughters with better academic and job opportunities. Returning to Nicaragua is not an option they are considering.

All the money they have earned has gone toward establishing their new home in Miami. However, Trump’s incendiary and anti-immigrant policies are now shaking the foundations of their plans. “The worst scenario is coming. There are raids every day—God help us all,” says José.

Workers Stay Away from Farms and Restaurants

Migrants rest at the Movimiento Juventud 2000 shelter during Trump’s first week in office, in Tijuana, Mexico. — Divergentes | EFE

At the workplaces of Carlos, Arlen, and José, most employees have not yet started skipping work. However, Jiménez, a member of the Half Moon Bay City Council, points out that in his state, immigrant workers have stopped attending their jobs to avoid being detained by ICE, especially in agricultural areas and restaurants.

“Trump said they were only going after criminals, but that’s not true. He is attacking the entire immigrant community. If they were only targeting criminals, why are they raiding agricultural fields where people are just working? If they were truly seeking criminals, they would go directly to people’s residences, as has always been done when a deportation order is issued,” says the former Mexican mayor of Half Moon Bay, California, and current city council member.

If the raids continue at the same pace and severity as this past week, the economic losses in businesses heavily reliant on immigrant labor will be significant. For this reason, Jiménez hopes that within a few months, detentions and deportations will either be halted or at least reduced.

“The local Chamber of Commerce is concerned about the businesses and companies that will be affected. They will soon realize that this will harm them. In construction areas, there are projects left unfinished because workers are not showing up,” he continues.

The best protection is knowing one’s rights, Jiménez asserts. He highlights several crucial points: no state official can enter private property, including homes, without a warrant. People, regardless of their immigration status, have the right not to provide personal information, to remain silent without an attorney present, and not to sign any documents without consent.

They also have the right to make a phone call, making it essential to memorize the phone numbers of family and friends. They have the right to request a public attorney if they do not have a private one, and their deportation case must be reviewed by a court before execution.

Jiménez also advises families to create a contingency plan in case of detention and to always carry necessary documentation if they have it.


The information we publish in DIVERGENTES comes from contrasted sources. Due to the situation in the region, many times, we are forced to protect them under pseudonymity or anonymity. Unfortunately, some governments in the region, including the Nicaraguan regime, do not provide information or censor independent media. For this reason, despite requesting it, we cannot rely on official, authorized versions. We resort to data analysis, anonymous internal sources, or limited information from the official media. These are the conditions under which we exercise a profession that, in many cases, costs us our safety and our lives. We will continue to report.