Venezuela restarted repatriation flights after public anger over the US deporting 238 Venezuelans to El Salvador, where they were sent to the infamous Cecot mega-prison. AP
The US has restarted deportation flights to Venezuela after reaching an agreement with the South American country. The first flight carrying Venezuelan migrants left the US on Saturday. It made a stop in Honduras before continuing to Venezuela.
The US Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs confirmed the flight’s departure. It said deportation flights of Venezuelan migrants have now resumed. The bureau thanked Honduras for helping with the transfer. It also stated that more flights would follow in the coming weeks.
Honduran officials said the flight carried 199 Venezuelans. The transfer took about three and a half hours. It was done in a safe and organized way. Honduran Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Reina said the migrants were transferred onto a Venezuelan plane, which then headed to an airfield near Caracas.
The resumption of flights comes after deportations were paused for months. The delay began after the previous US administration revoked a license allowing an American oil company to operate in Venezuela. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said the decision disrupted deportation flights. He warned that further sanctions from the US could follow.
Tensions rose after the US deported 238 Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador last month. The US accused them of being linked to the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua. However, some of their relatives denied the claims. They insisted that their loved ones had no ties to criminal activity.
Following public outrage, Venezuela’s National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez Gómez announced that repatriation flights would resume. He said the government was committed to bringing back its citizens. "Migration is not a crime," Rodríguez said. He also promised to fight for the release of Venezuelan migrants detained in El Salvador.
The deportation process involved a Texas-based charter flight carrying the migrants to Honduras. From there, they were transferred onto a Venezuelan-flagged plane headed for Caracas.
Venezuela does not have diplomatic relations with the US. This makes deportation procedures more complicated. The White House has not commented on the latest deportation flight.
Maduro recently ordered his government to boost the number of flights bringing Venezuelan migrants back home. This move is seen as part of Venezuela’s effort to handle the return of its citizens more efficiently.
