Venezuela has made an announcement indicating its willingness to resume accepting flights carrying its citizens who have been deported by U.S. immigration authorities. Jorge Rodríguez, the president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, disclosed in a social media post that the repatriation flights could begin as early as Sunday. Rodriguez emphasized that migration should not be considered a crime.
Rodríguez, who has been involved in negotiations with U.S. officials regarding immigration matters, stated that Venezuelan authorities are committed to ensuring the return of any citizens who need it. The White House has not yet responded to a request for comment on this matter.
Rodríguez also referenced the recent deportation of some Venezuelans to El Salvador earlier in March when President Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to target alleged members of a violent Venezuelan prison gang. This operation saw a total of 238 Venezuelans deported, with the federal judge still scrutinizing the process and seeking further information from the Trump administration.
Additionally, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has advocated for the return of the Venezuelan migrants deported to El Salvador, who were transferred to a mega-prison known as CECOT, as per statements from President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador. Families disputed claims that the deported individuals had gang affiliations, with Maduro labeling the deportations as kidnappings.
Previously, on March 8, Venezuela had stopped accepting repatriation flights from the U.S. following the cancellation of a permit that allowed Chevron to extract and export oil from Venezuela. However, recently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned of new sanctions on Venezuela if it did not resume accepting deported migrants.
[Carrie Kahn contributed to this report from Rio de Janeiro.]
