Reactions of Venezuelan migrants upon arriving in Maiquetía after their return from the United States. Photograph: Instagram / @mijpvzla
Guacamaya, March 24, 2025. Early this Monday morning, a group of 199 Venezuelan migrants arrived at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, La Guaira state, after being deported from the United States. The flight, operated by the state airline Conviasa, departed from Honduras, where the migrants had been relocated from U.S. territory.
This operation marks the resumption of deportation flights from the United States to Venezuela, a process previously announced by Nicolás Maduro’s administration. On Saturday, Jorge Rodríguez, President of the National Assembly, had confirmed the agreement to restart repatriation flights for Venezuelan citizens from the United States.
This development comes after a two-week pause in these operations, attributed to the suspension of Chevron’s license, which, according to Maduro, caused tensions in bilateral relations and disrupted flight logistics. Interior and Justice Minister Diosdado Cabello noted that this was the fourth repatriation flight of Venezuelans from the United States.
On February 10, the first group of Venezuelan deportees from the United States returned to the country in two separate flights from El Paso, Texas. Although the exact number of migrants in this group was not specified, this transfer was part of an agreement between President Nicolás Maduro and U.S. Special Envoy Richard Grenell. Ten days later, another flight with 177 individuals, previously detained in Guantanamo, arrived in Venezuela from Honduras.
The U.S. Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs reported on Sunday via X that deportation flights of Venezuelan migrants to their home country, operated through Honduras, had resumed. The post emphasized that these individuals lacked legal grounds to remain in the United States and anticipated the continuation of these operations in the future.
According to videos shared by journalist Madelein García on X, the migrants on Monday’s flight traveled handcuffed. Upon arrival, now unshackled, footage from CNN en Español captured mixed reactions: some raised their hands in celebration, while others crossed themselves.
The return of these migrants is part of the “Plan Vuelta a la Patria,” an initiative launched by the Venezuelan government in 2018 to support the repatriation of citizens facing vulnerability abroad. While the government has emphasized its commitment to facilitating these returns and criticized other nations’ migration policies, it has also been accused of contributing to the migration crisis due to internal factors such as the country’s economic, political, and social conditions.
