Venezuela and the United States have reached an agreement to resume repatriation flights for deported Venezuelans. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had suspended these flights following the U.S. Treasury Department’s decision to revoke Chevron’s license to export Venezuelan oil in March. However, an announcement by Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela’s Assembly, confirmed that the repatriation of Venezuelan migrants will restart with an initial flight scheduled for the following day.
Rodríguez emphasized the importance of ensuring the return of Venezuelan nationals while safeguarding their human rights. He also mentioned the deportation of Venezuelans to a high-security prison in El Salvador by the Trump administration, citing that migration is not a crime. The deportees were allegedly associated with the Tren de Aragua gang, designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Department of State.
Despite claims by the Trump administration, there has been limited evidence provided to support the deportation of Venezuelans as Tren de Aragua members or for any crimes committed in the U.S. Maduro’s government had previously resisted receiving immigrants deported from the U.S., a trend that has intensified since Trump’s presidency began.
Recent deportations to Venezuela included individuals who were temporarily held at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Trump administration alleged these individuals were linked to the Tren de Aragua group, yet the evidence supporting this assertion remains scarce.
