A former Nicaraguan paramilitary faces deportation or statelessness after ICE detention

MEXICO CITY -- A former Nicaraguan paramilitary detained by U.S. immigration authorities could soon be deported to the country where he said he was imprisoned and tortured — or sent to another country where he would be rendered stateless.Marlon Gerardo Sáenz Cruz, 65, who defected from the ruling Sandinista party, was among 222 prisoners stripped of their Nicaraguan citizenship and brought to D.C. through a U.S. State Department initiative in February 2023. Now, after being detained during his check-in with immigration authorities in Los Angeles on Aug. 17, he must make his case before an immigration judge to remain in the U.S.His immigration court date on Sept. 8 comes as asylum denial rates have spiked under the Trump administration and as people granted lesser protections from deportation are increasingly being sent to third countries in Latin America and Africa where they have no ties.“Even if he manages to get protection from a U.S. immigration judge, it’s not ensured safety,” said Savi Arvey, director of policy, refugee and immigrant rights at Human Rights First.Sáenz's detention followed a letter sent to the U.S. State Department last year by a group of Nicaraguan exiles, ma...