Latest news with #Conviasa
Miami Herald
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Second planeload of Venezuelans deported from the U.S. this week lands in Caracas
A new planeload of migrants deported from the U.S. landed Friday morning in Caracas, as the Trump administration continues to send Venezuelans back to their home country. The flight with 208 passengers on board, which included 30 women and two children, is the second from the United States that lands in Venezuela in the past five days, following Sunday's arrival of a plane with 175 migrants that took off from Texas. Among those sent back to Venezuela on Friday were a number of migrants who had criminal records, Venezuelan minister of Transportation Ramón Velásquez said on state-run television, though he did not provide details. On Thursday, two different flights on the state-owned airline Conviasa landed in Venezuela carrying migrants who were in Mexico and Honduras. As of Friday, 2,190 Venezuelans have been taken back by Venezuela since February, following a meeting held in Caracas between socialist ruler Nicolás Maduro and President Doanld Trump's envoy, Richard Grenell. In that meeting, Maduro agreed to take back deported migrants in exchange for the U.S. allowing his regime to continue selling oil. That agreement, however, fell apart a few days after, after Trump claimed the Venezuelan strongman was not taking back the deported migrants quickly enough. While the Trump administration has revoked the licenses that allowed foreign oil firms to keep operating in Venezuela since then, Maduro has continued to allow flights with deported migrants to land in his country, using the arrivals for propaganda purposes. Earlier this week, Maduro announced that his regime would send the Conviasa plane to Mexico to retrieve 300 migrants, most of them women and children, whom he claims had fled the United States fearing persecution. Maduro said this was necessary because of the Trump administration's intensified deportation policies, which have seen Venezuelan migrants deported to a mega prison in El Salvador, accused of having gang ties. Washington claims many of the deportees are connected to the infamous Tren de Aragua gang, which the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization. Over 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled their country in recent years, escaping violence, political persecution and economic collapse they attribute to the regime. More than 900,000 have sought refuge in the United States, but many now fear deportation as the Trump administration tightens immigration policies. The administration's recent crackdown on Venezuelan migrants has drawn sharp criticism from human rights activists and legal experts. Under new expedited deportation measures, Venezuelans suspected of gang affiliations are being sent to El Salvador without being given the right to a legal defense.
Observer
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Observer
Venezuela receives deported migrants from US
CARACAS: 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. 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 US State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said. — Reuters
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Venezuela receives hundreds of deported migrants from US after flights restart
CARACAS (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.
Reuters
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
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.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US deportations to Venezuela resume after dispute
A flight carrying 199 Venezuelans deported from the US to their homeland has landed at Simón Bolívar airport near Caracas. US repatriation flights to Venezuela had ground to a halt weeks ago after the Trump administration revoked a licence allowing Venezuela to export some of its oil to the US despite sanctions. But on Saturday the two governments, which have no diplomatic relations, reached agreement on resuming the flights, as part of the Trump administration's plan to remove undocumented migrants. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro described the flights as a chance to "rescue and free migrants from prisons in the US" . As they disembarked from the plane early on Monday, some of the deportees raised their arms and waved. They had earlier been transferred from US state of Texas to Honduras, in Central America, from where they were flown by Venezuelan flag carrier Conviasa to Maiquetía, north of Caracas. The US Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs described them as "illegal aliens" who "had no basis to remain in the United States". The head of Venezuela's National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, on the other hand stressed on Saturday that migration was "not a crime". Venezuela had originally agreed to take in Venezuelan deportees from the US in a deal struck by Trump's special envoy, Richard Grenell, in Caracas in January. It was widely seen as a victory for Trump, who has made deporting undocumented migrants a priority. However, Maduro said on 8 March that the US administration's decision to revoke the licence of oil giant Chevron to operate in Venezuela had created "a little problem". "They damaged the line of communication we had opened, and I was interested in those lines of communication (...) because I wanted to bring home all the Venezuelans they have in custody they have unjustly persecuted," he said. A week later, the Trump administration deported 238 Venezuelans to a mega-prison in El Salvador, arguing that they were members of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang. It caused an outcry in Venezuela, where several relatives of those deported to El Salvador insisted their loved ones had no criminal connections. Read: 'It's him, it's him!' - Mother spots son deported from US in mega-prison footage The deportation of Venezuelans to El Salvador's feared Cecot prison was followed by a warning posted on X by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week that Venezuela would face "severe and escalating" sanctions if it refused to accept its citizens deported from the US. The following day, Maduro ordered his government to "step up the action needed to guarantee return flights for detained migrants". Venezuela to resume repatriation of migrants after deal with US What is the 1798 law that Trump used to deport migrants? Trump says judge in migrant deportations case is 'Grandstander'
