Venezuela receives hundreds of deported migrants from US after flights restart
CARACAS, March 24 (Reuters) - A group of 199 Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States arrived on Monday after the two countries reached an agreement to restart flights, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said.
A diplomatic spat last week inflamed already tense relations as the United States accused Venezuela of refusing to accept deportations flights, while Caracas accused Washington of blocking them.
As that unfolded, a plane-load of deported Venezuelans had arrived from Mexico, a country that has agreed to accept migrants from other countries sent by the United States.
Cabello said flights have been inconsistent "not because of Venezuela," adding that they will "depend on the United States."
The United States sent the deportees first to Honduras, where they were picked up by Venezuelan state airline Conviasa and arrived in Caracas at 1 a.m. local time. The United States does not deport migrants directly to Venezuela due to the strained diplomatic relationship between the two countries.
"We expect to see a consistent flow of deportation flights to Venezuela going forward," the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said in a post on X confirming the flight.
The spat also comes after U.S. President Donald Trump invoked an obscure wartime law to rapidly deport people who were, according to the White House, members of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which Washington has declared a terrorist group and alien enemy.
Despite a judge quickly blocking the measure, the Trump administration deported more than 200 Venezuelans - 137 under the wartime act - to El Salvador where they are being detained in the country's massive anti-terrorism prison.
Venezuela denies the migrants' involvement in the criminal group, which the government claims was eradicated. Lawyers and family members of the migrants also deny their gang ties and say some may have been deported because of their tattoos, which they said U.S. immigration authorities claimed imply gang ties.
Cabello said on Monday that the Venezuelans in El Salvador were being "held hostage" and demanded that their rights be respected.
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