Two flights carrying 190 Venezuelans deported from the United States arrived Monday night at Simón de Maiquetía International Airport, north of Caracas.
The two planes arrived about ten minutes apart, the first at 9:03 pm local time on Monday (1:03 am today in Lisbon), according to images released by Venezuelan state television, which also showed the moment when some of the repatriated Venezuelans descended the plane's stairs, having been received by local authorities.
The arrivals were broadcast live on the program "With Maduro +" and confirmed by the president of Venezuela himself, who stressed that the Venezuelans returned in a "safe, loving, appropriate, dignified manner" and that they would be evaluated by a medical team.
According to Nicolás Maduro, the repatriation of Venezuelans is part of "a first step in Bolivarian peace diplomacy, to build an agenda of respect, communication and understanding between Venezuela and the United States."
On the other hand, he recalled that, during the recent visit to Caracas by the special envoy of the new US President Donald Trump, Richard Grenell, Venezuela requested the lifting of sanctions imposed by the US.
"If the US lifts all sanctions, no migrants will leave our country and those who are outside will return to work, to build and make Venezuela more prosperous," said Nicolás Maduro, who accused the opposition of driving and profiting from Venezuelan migration.
Venezuela sent two planes to the United States on Monday to repatriate Venezuelan migrants, the Foreign Ministry announced in a statement, ten days after Grenell's visit.
"Venezuela informs its people and the world that two planes are currently en route to Venezuelan soil (...) to transfer to our territory Venezuelan migrant compatriots who were in the United States," a statement read.
"The Bolivarian government also reports that it has been notified by the government of the United States of America that some of the people returning to the country are linked to criminal activities or involved in criminal actions [of the Venezuelan group] Tren de Aragua," Caracas also stressed, specifying that these people will be "subjected to a rigorous investigation as soon as they touch Venezuelan soil and will be subject to the actions foreseen" in the local justice system.
On January 31, Grenell met with Nicolás Maduro in Caracas to demand that the Venezuelan government accept the unconditional return of Venezuelans expelled from the United States, including members of the Tren de Aragua, and allow the release of American hostages held in Venezuela.
Grenell left with six freed Americans, and Trump claimed at the time that he had gotten the 'green light' on the first point.
Washington, which does not recognize Maduro's re-election, which the opposition considers fraudulent, assures that it has not made any concessions, while Maduro spoke of a "new beginning" in bilateral relations between the two countries, which have not maintained diplomatic relations since 2019.
Since taking office on January 20, Trump, whose top priority is immigration, has withdrawn temporary protection from deportation status for approximately 600,000 Venezuelans due to the economic and security crisis in their country.
More than 7.8 million Venezuelans have emigrated in the last decade, according to the UN. Many of these are in the United States.
