US Starts Deportation Flights to Venezuela Again

The US is resuming deportation flights to Venezuela following a diplomatic standoff, with 199 Venezuelans landing in Caracas over the weekend.

Key Takeaways

The US and Venezuela have reached a new agreement to resume deportation flights after weeks of diplomatic tension caused by Trump administration sanctions.
Venezuelan President Maduro portrays the flights as rescuing migrants from the US and El Salvador.
Approximately 350 Venezuelan migrants have been returned, including some previously held at Guantanamo Bay, with some allegedly affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang.
The diplomatic resumption came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned of “severe and escalating” sanctions if Venezuela continued refusing to accept its citizens.
The agreement highlights shifting U.S.-Venezuela relations amid immigration policy changes under the Trump administration.

Renewed Deportation Agreement After Diplomatic Tension

A flight carrying 199 deported Venezuelans landed at Simón Bolívar airport near Caracas over the weekend, marking the official resumption of US deportation flights to Venezuela. This development follows weeks of diplomatic standoff after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro suspended the repatriation agreement on March 8, responding to the Trump administration’s revocation of Chevron’s license to operate in Venezuela. The suspension created challenges for US immigration enforcement as Venezuela had initially agreed to accept deportees in a deal negotiated by Trump’s envoy Richard Grenell in January.

Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, announced the agreement’s resumption, stating: “We have agreed with the U.S. government to resume the repatriation of Venezuelan migrants with an initial flight tomorrow, Sunday, March 23.” The renewed agreement comes under Venezuela’s “Return to the Homeland Plan,” which aims to bring citizens back to their country. US officials had been pressing Venezuela to accept its nationals, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio taking a particularly firm stance on the matter.

US deportation flights to Venezuela resume following weeks-long standoff 🧵 pic.twitter.com/veOHt3jmen

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Diplomatic Pressure and International Implications

The resumption of deportation flights follows significant diplomatic pressure from the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued clear warnings about potential consequences if Venezuela continued refusing returnees. “Venezuela is obligated to accept its repatriated citizens from the U.S. This is not an issue for debate or negotiation,” Rubio stated firmly on X, adding that non-compliance would result in “severe and escalating” sanctions against the Maduro regime.

The diplomatic tension extended beyond just Venezuela and the United States. Prior to this agreement, approximately 238 Venezuelans were deported to a prison in El Salvador, a move that caused significant outcry in Venezuela. Maduro criticized these deportations, referring to the Venezuelans held in El Salvador as “kidnapped.” Meanwhile, Rubio expressed gratitude to El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele for accepting the migrants.

“Migrating is not a crime and we will not rest until we achieve the return of all those who require it and until we rescue our brothers kidnapped in El Salvador,” Rodríguez, president of Venezuela’s Assembly said regarding the flights to El Salvador. According to him, the deal with the US was made as a way to ensure “the return of our compatriots to their nation with the safeguard of their Human Rights.”