ICE Detains Nicaraguan Political Prisoner Denis Javier Palacios Hernández in Virginia
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Nicaraguan opposition figure Denis Javier Palacios Hernández on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, in Virginia. Palacios Hernández, 38, is one of the 222 political prisoners expelled from Nicaragua in February 2023 and stripped of their nationality by the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
Arrest Details and Legal Status
The arrest occurred while Palacios Hernández was on his way to work at a chicken distribution company, according to the Grupo de Reflexión de Excarcelados Políticos (Grex), a collective of opponents who were detained during the Nicaraguan political crisis. Grex emphasized that Palacios holds a valid work permit and has an asylum application currently pending in the United States.
Grex stated: “El señor Palacios es un buen ciudadano. No ha cometido delito y debería ser liberado a lo inmediato, dejando que pueda continuar su proceso de asilo en paz.”
The organization further noted that Palacios is single, has no children, and has no criminal record. They demanded his immediate release so he can continue his asylum process without remaining in immigration custody.
Background: The 2023 Mass Expulsion
Palacios Hernández was originally detained on July 23, 2019, and remained imprisoned until February 9, 2023, when the Nicaraguan government released 222 political prisoners and flew them to the United States. The group included opposition leaders, presidential candidates, journalists, activists, human rights defenders, businesspeople, and former diplomats.
Following the expulsion, Nicaraguan authorities declared them “traitors to the homeland,” stripped them of their Nicaraguan nationality, and revoked their political rights. Palacios entered U.S. territory with the backing of the State Department as part of the operation that facilitated the reception of the released prisoners. His arrest this week raises questions about his immigration status despite his ongoing international protection application.
Second Nicaraguan Journalist Arrested Days Earlier
The detention of Palacios came two days after the arrest of Luis Galeano, a 48-year-old Nicaraguan journalist and director of the analysis and debate program “Café con Voz,” which is critical of the Managua government. Galeano was detained on Monday in Orlando, Florida, while working as an Uber driver, according to his wife, Deykell Santamaría.
Galeano was also denationalized by Nicaraguan authorities. Santamaría reported that the journalist will be transferred to a migrant detention center and has a hearing scheduled for October 2. No official details have been released regarding the immigration arguments behind his arrest.
Nicaragua’s Ongoing Political Crisis
Both cases involve Nicaraguans who were expelled from their country and received in the United States following their release from prison. Nicaragua has faced a deepening political and social crisis since April 2018, when protests against the Ortega government triggered a repressive response from authorities.
Since then, dozens of opposition leaders, journalists, priests, activists, and human rights defenders have either fled the country or been imprisoned. The situation intensified ahead of the November 2021 general elections, in which Ortega, 80, secured a fifth term—his fourth consecutive one—while several of his main rivals were detained.
Subsequently, a portion of those detainees was expelled from the country, while others remained in prison or faced judicial proceedings. The regime has maintained that the opposition participated in actions to destabilize the state, an accusation that Ortega’s critics reject.
