Nicaragua ended visa-free travel for Cuban citizens on Sunday, cutting off a previous pathway for Cubans seeking to enter the US.

The order requires Cuban citizens to now carry more than an ordinary passport to travel in Nicaragua. The move shifts from Nicaragua’s “visa-free” policy towards Cuban citizens, implemented in 2021 to promote tourism and foster a congenial relationship between the two nations.

The migration policy reportedly comes as a response to pressure from US President Donald Trump’s administration, which recently pressed Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega into releasing dozens of political prisoners. The US had previously accused Ortega and Nicaraguan Vice President Rosario Murillo of implementing “migration policies that have introduced opportunities for migrant smuggling and trafficking networks to exploit migrants for economic gain and fuel dangerous, irregular travel.”

On Monday, dozens of Cubans protested the policy change outside the Nicaraguan Embassy in Havana. Many with travel plans remain uncertain of their status. Although the order does not require a fee for Cuban citizens seeking a visa, the process and review timeline are unclear.

US pressure on Nicaragua has increased following US military operations in Venezuela that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January. Ortega and Maduro are noted allies, and following Maduro’s contentious election win in 2024, Ortega offered to send “Sandinista fighters” to Venezuela to quell dissent.

The action also comes shortly after the US White House announced a new tariff scheme over Cuba, which permits the US to apply heightened tariffs on “any country that directly or indirectly provides oil to Cuba.” US officials justified the move arguing that Cuba “aligns itself with numerous hostile countries and malign actors, hosting their military and intelligence capabilities.”

Governments and international organizations have often called Ortega an authoritarian leader, citing continued repression and human rights abuses under his regime. In recent years, the US has established policies that seek “to promote the reestablishment of democratic practices, including free and fair elections, support for human rights, and attention to humanitarian needs” in the nation.

The Trump administration has increasingly exercised influence over Latin American nations following the announcement of a “new Monroe Doctrine” in December, which emphasizes US hegemony over Western Hemisphere countries.