Return of migrants: Venezuela announces resumption of flights with US
Photo: Deportation of migrants will resume (Getty Images)
After reaching an agreement between the governments of the United States and Venezuela, deportation flights from the US will resume. This will take place on Sunday, March 23, Bloomberg reports.
"Migrating is not a crime and we will not rest until we achieve the return of all those who require it," wrote Jorge Rodríguez, Head of the Venezuelan negotiation committee, on social media.
According to Rodríguez, the first flight will take place on March 23. The announcement comes at a time when the administration of US President Donald Trump is ready to allow American oil company Chevron to continue its operations in Venezuela for at least 30 more days beyond the deadline set earlier this month. In particular, April 3 is the deadline when the company was supposed to cease its operations in the country.
In response, President Nicolás Maduro's government briefly suspended the acceptance of migrant flights from the US.
Maduro seeks Washington's approval to allow Chevron to continue operating in the country, as the oil giant currently accounts for about one-fifth of Venezuela’s oil production and generates a significant proportion of the economy’s hard currency.
Bloomberg notes that Trump is increasing pressure on Maduro to quickly reach an agreement on democratic reforms and to agree to the return of more Venezuelans who migrated to the US.
Although Trump's envoy, Ric Grenell, and Venezuelan negotiator Rodríguez initially stated that the flights would resume on March 14, the deportation flight from the US on Sunday will be the first to arrive. This follows the deportation of over 200 Venezuelans to the notorious prison in El Salvador last week, accusing them of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang.
