Venezuela’s interim government accepts more U.S. deportation flights after Maduro’s capture

Venezuela’s interim government has agreed to accept an increased number of deportation flights from the United States, with three flights arriving this week at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas, U.S. officials said. U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the increase follows the U.S.

capture of President Nicolás Maduro and the Trump administration’s pressure on Venezuela’s interim leadership. Last year Venezuela allowed as many as two flights per week; a U.S. official said that number is now expected to rise to three. The first plane in more than a month landed on Jan.

16 from Phoenix carrying 199 Venezuelans and was followed by flights this Monday, Thursday and Friday. One Thursday flight, operated by Eastern Air Express, carried more than 180 people, and a Venezuelan government account said the migrants were being welcomed “with dignity, following all the necessary protocols to ensure a happy return to our nation.” Immigration experts said that if three flights per week becomes the norm, the United States would deport nearly 30,000 Venezuelans this year, roughly double last year’s number; an estimated 650,000 Venezuelans live in the country without legal status.

Key Topics

World, Venezuela, Simón Bolívar Airport, Nicolás Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez, Eastern Air Express