The 2024 Mark Palmer Prize, named after the late US ambassador to Hungary, was awarded to the public servants and diplomats across agencies who were part of Operation Nica Welcome, the heroic effort to secure the release and settlement of 222 political prisoners from Nicaraguan jails to safety in the United States in early 2023. Ambassador Kevin Sullivan, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Marta Costanzo Youth, Deputy Assistant Secretary Enrique Roig, and former Assistant Administrator Marcela Escobari accepted the award on behalf of the 350 US government officials who participated in the operation, which reunited the released prisoners with their loved ones and helped them begin new lives in 25 states across the country.
