A flight from Morocco suspected of being involved in illegal immigration to the US

A charter flight operated by Alexandria Airlines, an Egyptian airline, landed on Friday at Augusto C. Sandino International Airport, the main joint civil-military public international airport in Managua, Nicaragua, with more than 370 passengers on board from Morocco.

Among them, many Moroccan and Indian nationals would have travelled to Nicaragua to irregularly cross the United States border, reported La Prensa, citing unofficial sources.

The same source reports that a diverse group of people from Cuba, Haiti, China, Vietnam, and various African countries have traversed Nicaragua in recent years to reach the US through Honduras and Mexico. The report also suggests that Daniel Ortega's policy of waiving visa requirements for individuals seeking to reach the US border may have driven many to attempt this journey.

The media also reports that in December 2023, a plane with 303 Indian passengers bound for Nicaragua was grounded in France, before being returned to India by the French authorities. They arrested two of the passengers on board on suspicion of human trafficking, while 25 others submitted asylum applications.