Sen. Cruz Applauds Trump Administration Announcement Enforcing Sanctions Against Two High Profile Members of Ortega Regime

HOUSTON, Texas - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today issued the following statements after the Trump administration announced sanctions against two high-profile Nicaraguan government officials, Julio César Avilés Castillo, the commander-in-chief of the Nicaraguan Army, and Iván Adolfo Acosta Montalván, the Ortega regime's minister of finance for their involvement in serious human rights abuses:

"These sanctions against the Ortega regime will send a clear message to the international community that the U.S. stands and will continue to stand with the people of Nicaragua against the regime. This pressure is why I fought for the NICA bill, and I applaud the Trump administration for using the authorities provided by it to hold members of the Ortega regime who engage in brutal human rights violations accountable. I will continue working with my colleagues and the administration to apply pressure on the regime."

This announcement follows of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's passage of Sens. Cruz and Bob Menendez's (D-N.J.) bipartisan Senate resolution (S. Res. 525) on Thursday urging the administration to use existing sanctions authorities to increase pressure on the Ortega regime.

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