Venezuela to Restart Migrant Repatriation After Reaching Agreement With U.S., Official States
CARACAS, Venezuela — According to a Venezuelan official’s social media post on Saturday, Venezuela will recommence accepting repatriation flights from the U.S. carrying deported Venezuelan citizens, following an agreement reached between the two nations.
President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela had halted these flights on March 8 after the U.S. Treasury Department revoked Chevron’s license to export Venezuelan oil.
Jorge Rodríguez, the president of Venezuela’s Assembly and Maduro’s primary negotiator with the U.S., stated, “We have reached an agreement with the U.S. government to restart the repatriation of Venezuelan migrants, with the first flight scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday.”
Rodríguez indicated that Venezuela agreed to the deal to ensure “the safe return of our compatriots to their country, with the protection of their Human Rights.”
In his statement, Rodríguez referenced the deportation of approximately 250 Venezuelans to a high-security prison in El Salvador by the Donald Trump administration.
“Migration is not a crime, and we will continue to fight for the return of all those who need it and to rescue our brothers held captive in El Salvador,” Rodríguez asserted.
Maduro confirmed the resumption of flights during a public appearance later that day, stating, “We are restarting flights to rescue and release migrants from U.S. prisons.”
The Venezuelan leader also held Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, responsible for the well-being of the deported Venezuelans.
“You must guarantee their health and release them as soon as possible because they are being held against their will,” Maduro declared.
Trump claimed that the deportees were members of the Tren de Aragua gang, which he described as an invading force on March 15. He invoked the Alien Enemies Act, a rarely used law from 1798 that allows the president to deport any non-citizen during wartime. Although a federal judge temporarily blocked the deportations, flights were already en route when the ruling was issued.
The Tren de Aragua, which the U.S. Department of State has designated as a foreign terrorist organization, originated in a Venezuelan prison. Its members accompanied the mass exodus of millions of Venezuelans, the vast majority of whom sought better living conditions after their country’s economy collapsed in the last decade.
The Trump administration has not presented evidence to support its claim that the deportees are members of Tren de Aragua or that they committed any crimes in the U.S.
Maduro’s government has largely refused to accept immigrants deported from the U.S., a practice that has significantly increased since Trump took office on January 20.
In recent weeks, around 350 people have been deported to Venezuela, including approximately 180 who spent up to 16 days at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The Trump administration has alleged that the Venezuelans sent to Guantanamo are members of Tren de Aragua but has provided little evidence to support this claim.
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