The first flight carrying Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States touched down in Venezuela early Monday morning. This significant event comes after both governments reached an agreement to resume repatriation flights. Almost 200 deportees were on board the aircraft, which landed at an airport located just north of the capital, Caracas.
Video footage from the arrival showed a mixed reaction among the deportees. While some celebrated with their hands raised in joy as they descended the stairs onto the tarmac, others made the sign of the cross, reflecting a range of emotions. The scene was heavily monitored by security personnel, underscoring the sensitive nature of these flights.
The US Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs confirmed that the flight originated from the United States and made a stop in Honduras for a change of planes. In a post on X, the department stated, “Today, deportation flights of Venezuelan illegal aliens to their homeland resumed via Honduras.” The statement emphasized that these individuals had no legal basis to remain in the United States, and the agency anticipates a consistent flow of deportation flights to Venezuela in the near future. The US also expressed gratitude to Honduran President Castro and her government for their cooperation in addressing illegal immigration.
According to Honduras’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Enrique Reina, there were 199 Venezuelan citizens on the flight. He reported that the transfer process lasted three and a half hours and was executed “in an orderly and safe manner.” Following the transfer, Reina mentioned, “the Venezuelan-flagged vessel departed for the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” highlighting the systematic nature of this repatriation effort.
The resumption of these repatriation flights had been delayed due to a decision made during the Trump administration in February, which revoked a license for American oil company Chevron to operate in Venezuela. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro remarked that this decision had adversely affected the repatriation flights, leading to threats of further sanctions from the Trump administration.
Recent events had intensified public outcry in Venezuela, particularly following the US's deportation of 238 Venezuelans to El Salvador. These individuals were subsequently relocated to the notorious Cecot mega-prison. The US government accused them of ties to the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua; however, family members of the deportees have asserted that their loved ones were not involved in any criminal activities.
On Saturday, Jorge Rodríguez Gómez, President of Venezuela’s National Assembly, announced the agreement to resume repatriations, just two weeks after flights had effectively been paused. “Migration is not a crime, and we will not rest until we achieve the return of all those who need it and until we rescue our brothers and sisters kidnapped in El Salvador,” Rodríguez declared. CNN has reached out to both the US State Department and the Salvadoran presidency for comments regarding these remarks, though diplomatic relations between Venezuela and the US remain severed.
Flight tracking data revealed that the deportees were transferred from a Texas charter flight to a plane bound for Caracas, which landed at an airbase in Honduras previously utilized for migrant transfers. As of now, the White House has not made any comments regarding the recent deportation flight. In response to the ongoing situation, President Maduro has instructed his government to increase the number of flights necessary to repatriate Venezuelan migrants currently detained in the US.
