Violent confrontations between protesters and government security forces have been steadily escalating since April, fueling speculation that Nicaragua is on the brink of all-out civil war.
Thousands of Nicaraguans are already fleeing abroad and the impact on U.S. borders could escalate an already-heated immigration debate, impacting the 2018 midterms.
During the last Nicaraguan civil war, over 250,000 Nicaraguan refugees sought asylum in the United States.