Two flights carrying nearly 200 Venezuelan nationals who were in the United States illegally arrived in Venezuela on Monday, marking a major step in President Donald Trump’s deportation plan.
Repatriation flights to Venezuela have resumed, with Ambassador @RichardGrenell overseeing the first two flights.
MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN. ✈️ pic.twitter.com/ZAUpwFjhIk
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 10, 2025
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The flights, operated by Venezuelan state-run airline Conviasa, departed from Fort Bliss, a U.S. Army base in El Paso, Texas, and landed in Caracas.
The return of 190 migrants to Venezuela signals a potential shift in relations between the U.S. and Venezuela, longtime geopolitical adversaries.
The development also marks a win for the Trump administration, which has been working to ensure foreign governments accept the return of their citizens found in the United States illegally.
“Two planes of illegal immigrants left El Paso today headed to Venezuela—paid for by the Venezuelans,” said Trump envoy Richard Grenell, who oversaw the deportations, in a post on X.
Thank you, @realDonaldTrump.
Two planes of illegal immigrants left El Paso today headed to Venezuela – paid for by the Venezuelans. pic.twitter.com/Tc7GmwfOJp
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) February 10, 2025
For years, deportation flights from the U.S. to Venezuela were halted due to strained diplomatic ties.
The Biden-Harris administration briefly resumed removals in October 2023, but large-scale deportations had remained stalled.
Since 2021, Venezuelan nationals have made up a significant portion of those crossing the U.S. southern border illegally.
The Venezuelan government’s past refusal to take back deported citizens created a major roadblock in enforcement efforts.
However, Venezuela’s agreement to accept deported migrants followed a diplomatic visit by Grenell to Caracas in recent weeks.
“This is the world we want, a world of peace, understanding, dialogue, and cooperation,” said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, acknowledging the deal.
The Venezuelan government confirmed the arrival of deportation flights but criticized what it described as “false” and “ill-intentioned” claims about members of the Tren de Aragua gang being among the deported individuals.
Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organization, has been linked to crimes across Latin America and the United States, fueling security concerns.
The U.S. has identified gang members among illegal border crossers, but Venezuela rejects these claims, insisting that most of its migrants are “decent and hard-working people.”
The deportations came just days after the Trump administration transferred a group of illegal aliens to the Guantánamo Bay detention facility in Cuba.
Dana Bash on CNN is suuuuuuuper upset right now that illegal immigrant child predators are going to be sleeping in tents in Guantánamo Bay…
… BUT SAID NOTHING ABOUT AMERICAN CITIZENS SLEEPING IN TENTS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA FOR MONTHS?!!!!!
EXCUSE ME?!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/zjvnJHJUkK
— Matt Van Swol (@matt_vanswol) February 9, 2025
These detainees were reportedly separated from 15 existing prisoners, including individuals tied to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
However, on Sunday, a federal judge in New Mexico temporarily blocked the administration from sending three Venezuelan men to Guantánamo Bay.
The men’s lawyers argued that their clients fit the profile of individuals the administration had prioritized for detention there—Venezuelan men apprehended in the El Paso area with alleged connections to the Tren de Aragua gang. Their attorneys insist that these gang-related charges are false.
Monday’s deportation flights also follow Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent negotiations with El Salvador and Guatemala.
Both countries agreed to accept their citizens back, along with other U.S. deportees from different nationalities.
Following Grenell’s diplomatic talks with Venezuela, Trump announced that Venezuelan authorities had agreed to accept all their nationals living illegally in the U.S., including known gang members of Tren de Aragua.
As part of the agreement, Venezuela also agreed to fund the flights returning its citizens home.
Additionally, six Americans detained in Venezuela were released as part of the deal.
With Trump’s deportation policies ramping up, more nations may soon be pressured to accept the return of their citizens, strengthening the administration’s ongoing efforts to reduce illegal immigration and secure the southern border.
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