Venezuela says it will start accepting repatriation flights from the U.S. again
Venezuela has announced that it will resume accepting flights of its citizens who are deported by U.S. immigration authorities.
Jorge Rodríguez, the president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, said on Saturday in a post on social media that the repatriation flights would begin again as early as Sunday. “Migration is not a crime,” he added.
Rodríguez, who has been negotiating with U.S. officials on immigration issues, said Venezuelan authorities “will not rest” until they secure the return of any citizens who require it.
The White House did not immediately reply to NPR’s request for comment on Sunday.
In his statement, Rodríguez also alluded to the deportation of some Venezuelans to El Salvador earlier in March, when President Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act in order to target alleged members of a violent Venezuelan prison gang.
A total of 238 Venezuelans were deported in that operation, which remains under scrutiny by a federal judge who had attempted to block the deportation flights and continues to seek information from the Trump administration about why they went ahead. Of the 238, the Trump administration said 137 people were deported under the Alien Enemies Act and 101 were deported under regular immigration proceedings.
Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has called for the return of the Venezuelan migrants sent by the U.S. to El Salvador, where President Nayib Bukele said they were transferred to a mega-prison known as CECOT.
Families of some of the Venezuelans who were deported disputed the government’s claims that the men had gang connections.
Maduro has said the Venezuelan migrants were kidnapped.
Venezuela stopped accepting repatriation flights from the U.S. on March 8. It came after Trump announced that the U.S. would cancel the Biden-era permit that allowed California-based Chevron to extract and export oil from Venezuela, a major source of revenue for the country.
But last week Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the Trump administration would impose “new, severe, and escalating sanctions” on the country unless it began accepting migrants again.
Carrie Kahn contributed reporting from Rio de Janeiro.
Trump announces new 25 percent tariff on all cars made outside the U.S.
The president's latest action on trade enacts a 25% tariff on cars made outside of the U.S., continuing his trade policies focused on boosting American manufacturing.
Judge allows ‘New York Times’ copyright case against OpenAI to go forward
The legal fight could have far-reaching implications for the media and artificial intelligence industries.
What to know about Pituffik, the only U.S. military base in Greenland
Vice President JD Vance will travel to Greenland this week, including a stop at Pituffik Space Base, the U.S. Defense Department's northernmost installation and its only outpost on the island.
EV buyers who missed out on their tax credits now have a fix from the IRS
Some car owners couldn't claim the EV tax credit for vehicles purchased in 2024 because dealers skipped a key sales reporting step. The IRS is now offering a fix.
Mission accepted: Amazon’s ‘James Bond’ series has found its new producers
Producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman have accepted the call to lead the new Bond franchise.
Brazil’s Supreme Court says Bolsonaro must stand trial over alleged coup attempt
The former far-right populist president, Jair Bolsonaro, will face trial for allegedly attempting to overturn his 2022 reelection loss and stage a violent coup.
