Following a dispute over oil sanctions, deportation flights from the US to Venezuela have restarted, resuming a contentious agreement between the two nations.
US-Venezuela Deportation Flights Resume Amid Political Tensions
US-Venezuela Deportation Flights Resume Amid Political Tensions
Tensions between the US and Venezuela lead to the resumption of repatriation flights for undocumented migrants.
Despite a halt in repatriation flights, a recent agreement has led to the return of 199 Venezuelans from the US to their homeland. Early Monday morning, the deportees arrived at Simón Bolívar airport near Caracas after being taken from the US state of Texas to Honduras, and finally flown back to Venezuela by the national carrier Conviasa.
This development marks the resumption of a controversial program put in place by the Trump administration to further its agenda of deporting undocumented migrants. The agreement to resume deportations came after diplomatic tensions had escalated, particularly after the US revoked a license permitting Venezuela to export oil to the US, a move that had temporarily halted the repatriation flights.
Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro welcomed the flights, perceiving them as a way to liberate citizens from US detention. However, the US described the deportees as "illegal aliens" with no legal grounds to remain stateside.
Officials in Venezuela, including National Assembly head Jorge Rodríguez, emphasized that migration should not be criminalized. Maduro noted that the relationship had become strained due to the US's changes in sanctions and called for improved communication channels to facilitate the return of Venezuelans detained abroad.
The recent history of these deportations includes an incident wherein the Trump administration sent Venezuelans to a notorious prison in El Salvador, triggering backlash from relatives asserting their loved ones were wrongly accused of criminal affiliations.
In the backdrop of these events, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned of escalating sanctions against Venezuela if it did not comply with accepting deportees returning from the United States. Following this, Maduro ordered increased efforts to ensure return flights for Venezuelan migrants were resumed promptly.
This development marks the resumption of a controversial program put in place by the Trump administration to further its agenda of deporting undocumented migrants. The agreement to resume deportations came after diplomatic tensions had escalated, particularly after the US revoked a license permitting Venezuela to export oil to the US, a move that had temporarily halted the repatriation flights.
Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro welcomed the flights, perceiving them as a way to liberate citizens from US detention. However, the US described the deportees as "illegal aliens" with no legal grounds to remain stateside.
Officials in Venezuela, including National Assembly head Jorge Rodríguez, emphasized that migration should not be criminalized. Maduro noted that the relationship had become strained due to the US's changes in sanctions and called for improved communication channels to facilitate the return of Venezuelans detained abroad.
The recent history of these deportations includes an incident wherein the Trump administration sent Venezuelans to a notorious prison in El Salvador, triggering backlash from relatives asserting their loved ones were wrongly accused of criminal affiliations.
In the backdrop of these events, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned of escalating sanctions against Venezuela if it did not comply with accepting deportees returning from the United States. Following this, Maduro ordered increased efforts to ensure return flights for Venezuelan migrants were resumed promptly.
