The United States Treasury Department announced new financial penalties Thursday targeting two sons of Nicaragua’s ruling couple Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, along with various officials and businesses connected to the nation’s gold mining sector for supporting what Washington describes as an oppressive regime.
These financial restrictions represent part of President Donald Trump’s intensified approach toward hostile Latin American nations, marking some of the strongest U.S. pressure on the region in decades. Though Washington has consistently criticized Nicaragua for authoritarian practices, the Central American country had previously avoided the severe sanctions imposed on nations like Cuba and Venezuela.
The Nicaraguan administration has conducted an extensive campaign against opposition voices following widespread civil unrest in 2018, which authorities suppressed through violent means.
Maurice Ortega and Daniel Edmundo Ortega, both offspring of the co-ruling pair and government employees, represented the most prominent individuals affected by Thursday’s penalties, which the Treasury Department attributed to their governmental positions.
Nicaraguan authorities have not yet issued a response regarding the newly imposed sanctions.
Veteran political figure Ortega formally designated Murillo — his spouse and former deputy leader — as co-president twelve months ago. Political analysts interpreted this decision as an effort to strengthen the family dynasty’s control over Nicaragua while establishing a succession plan for their offspring.
Treasury officials stated Thursday that the additional sanctioned entities and individuals exploited corrupt practices within the gold mining sector to enrich government accounts. The department noted that several of those penalized participated in last year’s seizure of a mining operation that included American investments.
“The United States will not allow the illicit confiscation of American-owned assets and will continue to target revenue streams that empower the corrupt Murillo-Ortega regime,” U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in a statement.
United Nations specialists reported last month that Nicaragua’s administration employs corruption as a mechanism to fund widespread political suppression and maintain authority.
The Nicaraguan government has also detained political opponents, religious figures, media professionals and others, subsequently forcing them into exile while revoking hundreds of citizens’ nationality and property rights. Since 2018, authorities have closed over 5,000 organizations, predominantly religious institutions, and compelled thousands to leave the country.
Government officials frequently claim that critics and targeted organizations operate on behalf of the United States and other adversaries to weaken their authority.
