Secretary of State Marco Rubio has imposed new sanctions on a senior Nicaraguan official, marking an escalation in the Trump administration’s pressure campaign across Latin America. The move signals that Nicaragua is no longer a secondary concern but part of a broader U.S. strategy targeting leftist governments in the region.
On April 18, Rubio designated Vice Minister of the Interior Luis Roberto Cañas Novoa under Section 7031(c), a State Department authority used to penalize foreign officials accused of serious human rights violations. The sanction bars him from entering the United States and was timed to coincide with the anniversary of Nicaragua’s April 2018 protests,” The International Business Times reported.
