Venezuela receives 199 deportees from US amid tensions
The cooperation between Honduras, the US, and Venezuela on migration issues highlights the complex dynamics at play, with the Venezuelan government receiving deportees while denouncing US actions as retaliatory. The situation underscores the need for a comprehensive approach to address the migration crisis and the tensions between the US and Venezuela.
A flight carrying 199 Venezuelan deportees arrived in Caracas, Venezuela, from the US, marking the fourth such deportation since the resumption of flights between the two countries. The deportees, all men, were initially detained in Texas and sent to Honduras before being returned to Venezuela.
The Venezuelan Minister of Interior, Diosdado Cabello, received the deportees at the Maiquetía International Airport in Caracas. This development comes after the US and Venezuela agreed to resume deportation flights, amidst ongoing tensions between the two nations. The crisis in migration between Venezuela and the US escalated after the visit of Richard Grenell, special envoy of Trump, to Caracas in January.
The US had revoked the license of the American oil company Chevron to operate in Venezuela as a retaliatory measure. Venezuela denounced that the US Department of State was blocking repatriation flights. The two countries severed diplomatic relations in 2019, and the opposition in Venezuela denounced fraud in the 2024 elections, which Trump did not recognize as legitimate.
The deportation of Venezuelans is part of a broader migration crisis in the region, with Honduras facilitating a humanitarian operation to transfer the migrants. The procedure, coordinated at the Palmerola military base, was carried out following instructions from President Xiomara Castro, demonstrating the solidarity of the Honduran government with migrants in the region.