MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

U.S. kept deporting migrants to Venezuela and Iran despite plans for military action

The Trump administration explored and expanded legal tools to accelerate mass deportations of migrants, including measures targeting Venezuelans under the rhetoric of an “invasion.”

The United States continued deporting migrants to Iran and Venezuela while increasing military and diplomatic pressure on both countries, according to official records, agency reports and data from organizations tracking removal flights. In Iran’s case, Washington resumed deportation flights to Tehran in September 2025 after decades without carrying out such transfers, in a shift that coincided with a sharp deterioration in bilateral relations.

The first flight to Iran left in late September carrying 120 deportees, after an unusual arrangement between Washington and Tehran. A second flight was reported in December and a third in January.

The continuation of those removals came under greater scrutiny after the United States and Israel launched an offensive against Iran on Feb. 28 in which Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed, triggering a new phase in the regional conflict. Reuters also reported on Monday that Iranian authorities had threatened legal retaliation and asset confiscation against Iranians abroad who support the attacks, adding to the political risk faced by nationals returned to the country.

In Venezuela, deportations did not stop either. Human Rights First reported that between Jan. 20, 2025 and Jan. 20, 2026, the United States carried out 78 deportation flights to Venezuela, removing nearly 15,000 Venezuelans. In January 2026 alone, there were seven flights and 1,509 deportees, after a brief suspension between Dec. 10 and Jan. 16.

That pace continued even after Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces in January. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges, while Caracas came under an interim government led by Delcy Rodríguez. In the following days, the two countries began exploring a gradual normalization of ties and last week announced the restoration of diplomatic and consular relations.

Deportations to Venezuela were formally resumed in March 2025 following a bilateral agreement. At that time, a flight carrying 199 deported migrants arrived in Venezuela, while Washington kept those operations going despite mixed signals over security and airspace.

Migration policy toward both countries unfolded alongside a broader hardening of the Trump administration’s deportation strategy. The government had carried out more than 675,000 deportations in its first year and was exploring extraordinary tools to speed up mass removals.