MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuela to resume repatriation flights for irregular migrants in the US

“We ratify that we will take care of our compatriots wherever they are,” Rodríguez said

Venezuela's Chavista regime confirmed Thursday the resumption of repatriation flights for migrants deported from the United States under the “Return to the Homeland” Plan, following an agreement with US Special Envoy Richard Grenell. National Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodríguez announced the initiative and blamed Washington for the delays after President Donald Trump revoked Chevron's license to operate in the South American country. Since the program began, over 300 Venezuelans have been repatriated on three flights.

 Flights are to resume Friday, Grenell said. “I am pleased to announce that Venezuela has agreed to resume flights to pick up its citizens who violated U.S. immigration laws and entered the country irregularly. The flights will begin this Friday,” the US official noted.

I am pleased to announce that Venezuela has agreed to resume flights to pick up their citizens who broke U.S. Immigration Laws and entered the U.S. illegally.

The flights will resume Friday.

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) March 13, 2025

Rodríguez issued a statement mentioning that the Return to the Homeland Plan would be activated again to “repatriate our brothers and sisters who are in the North American country” after “we have reached an agreement with Richard Grenell to repatriate our compatriots in the United States.”

“Venezuela thus protects the human rights of our migrants and defends the reunification of families who have suffered the serious consequences of criminal sanctions against our country and our economy,” he added.

“We ratify that we will take care of our compatriots wherever they are, and we congratulate ourselves for the happiness that comes to Venezuelan homes when we see their sons and daughters return home, to their homeland,” he went on.

According to Venezuelan ruler Nicolás Maduro, Trump's measure adopted on Feb. 26 cut all communication channels between Caracas and the White House, and, therefore, no further flights were performed. The Venezuelan Plan uses aircraft from the state-owned airline Conviasa.

Cabello

In a separate event, Venezuela's United Socialist Party (PSUV) Secretary-General Diosdado Cabello denounced that people in the disputed Guayana Esequiba were being threatened for wanting to participate in the May 25 elections to appoint a governor, in addition to representatives to the National Assembly and Legislative Council in Caracas.

”We do not deny their participation, but what this denotes is fear, it also denotes the recognition that this territory belongs to Venezuela, whoever participates there will be condemned for treason, it is because they (Guyana) recognize that this territory belongs to Venezuela and all those who live there are Venezuelan men and women,“ Cabello insisted while announcing that residents in the disputed territory would be given Venezuelan IDs. ”As long as the Bolivarian Revolution governs here, that territory is and will continue to belong to Venezuela“, he said.

”We do not allow ourselves to be blackmailed by anyone, that there is a litigation, that's fine, but that belongs to Venezuela (...) We are not subject to any imperial disposition or of any corporate company such as ExxonMobil. We defend our territory at all costs”, he added.