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U.S. immigration authorities are considering deporting Nicaraguan activist Yadira Córdoba to Honduras rather than her home country, a move that her lawyers and human-rights groups warn could endanger her life.
Córdoba, one of Nicaragua’s “Mothers of April,” became a public figure after her 15-year-old son, Orlando, was shot and killed during 2018 anti-government protests in Managua. Her calls for justice put her at odds with President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo’s regime, forcing her to flee first to Costa Rica and later to the United States in 2022.
She has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since August 20, when agents arrested her during a routine check-in at federal immigration court in San Antonio. Her final asylum hearing began October 31. Her lawyer, Arno Lemus, said ICE’s move to deport her to Honduras reflects an attempt to bypass her strong asylum claims tied to Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
The deportation plan has alarmed Nicaraguan exiles, who cite attacks on dissidents across Central America. Córdoba’s son Ronald, now 34 and living in Austin, said to local media he fears his mother “would not survive if sent to Honduras.”
Pablo Cuevas, director of the Nicaraguan Human Rights Defenders, told TPR that the judge overseeing Yadira’s case requested she present proof that she would be in danger if sent to Honduras on her next appointment at San Antonio federal immigration court on November 6th.
