Venezuelan migrants land at Maiquetía International Airport after being deported from the United States this February. Photo: Ministry of Popular Power for Interior Relations, Justice, and Peace.
Guacamaya, March 12, 2025. The U.S. State Department reiterated this Wednesday that all countries, “including Venezuela,” are obligated to accept the return of their citizens in irregular migratory status in the United States. This statement comes after criticism from President Nicolás Maduro, who accused the Trump administration of sabotaging bilateral dialogue channels by revoking Chevron’s oil exploitation license.
Maduro stated on Saturday that the measure against the U.S. oil company, announced on January 20 when Trump began his second term, disrupted plans for the repatriation of Venezuelan migrants from the US. “They made this tremendous noise without explanation. We had flights scheduled to bring back our brothers,” declared the president, without providing specific details.
The White House justified the decision by citing Caracas’ non-compliance on two fronts: accepting deportees “at the agreed rate” and ensuring transparent electoral conditions for the 2024 elections, which have been questioned by the Venezuelan opposition. Trump has promoted a restrictive immigration agenda, arguing that it aims to “protect national security.”
Operation Grenell: Deportations and Releases
Prior to the escalation, the Special Envoy for Venezuela and North Korea, Richard Grenell, held a meeting with Venezuelan authorities in Caracas in January, securing the release of six Americans detained in the country. This rapprochement facilitated the deportation of 609 Venezuelans in three groups during February, according to official sources.
While the UN estimates that 7.7 million Venezuelans have emigrated since 2015, the Maduro government rejects these statistics, calling them “exaggerated for political purposes.”
Analysts suggest that the resumption of mass deportations could be used as a tool for geopolitical pressure, as both governments have maintained broken relations since 2019, when the U.S. refused to recognize Maduro as the legitimate president.
