Maduro regime to start accepting deportations from US
Maduro Regime Agrees to Resume Accepting Deportations from U.S. After Months-Long Standoff
Caracas, Venezuela – March 23, 2025
In a significant shift in policy, the Maduro regime in Venezuela has announced it will resume accepting deportation flights from the United States, marking the end of a months-long standoff with the Trump administration. The decision, confirmed by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, comes amid intense diplomatic pressure and threats of escalated sanctions from Washington, signaling a pragmatic move by Caracas to ease tensions with the U.S.
The agreement follows a tumultuous period in U.S.-Venezuela relations, particularly after Maduro suspended repatriation flights on March 8, 2025, in retaliation for the Trump administration’s revocation of a Biden-era oil export deal with Chevron. That deal had allowed limited economic relief for Venezuela’s crumbling oil industry, a lifeline for the regime amid years of U.S. sanctions. The suspension of deportation flights left thousands of Venezuelan migrants in limbo, many detained in the U.S., while others faced controversial deportations to third countries like El Salvador.
Maduro’s announcement came during a public address in Caracas on March 22, where he framed the decision as a humanitarian effort to “rescue and release migrants from U.S. prisons.” He also reiterated his demand for the return of over 200 Venezuelans recently deported to El Salvador’s notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), calling their transfer a “kidnapping” by the U.S. government. “We are resuming flights to bring our brothers home,” Maduro declared, adding that he holds Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele accountable for their well-being.
The Trump administration has hailed the move as a victory for its hardline immigration stance. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a key architect of the policy, had warned earlier this month that Venezuela would face “severe and escalating sanctions” if it continued to refuse repatriation flights. The administration’s pressure campaign intensified after it invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, a move that sparked legal challenges and international criticism. While the U.S. maintains that the deportees were vetted criminals, Maduro and Venezuelan officials have denied these claims, insisting they are innocent migrants caught in a geopolitical game.
The resumption of flights is expected to begin as early as Sunday, March 23, with the first group of deportees landing in Venezuela. Details of the agreement remain sparse, but analysts suggest it reflects a calculated compromise by Maduro, who faces mounting domestic challenges and a faltering economy. Over seven million Venezuelans have fled the country in the past decade, driven by hyperinflation, food shortages, and political repression—conditions the regime attributes to U.S. sanctions rather than its own policies.
The decision has drawn mixed reactions. In Venezuela, some citizens and human rights advocates welcomed the move as a chance to reunite families, though skepticism persists about the regime’s motives. “Maduro is playing both victim and savior,” said Oscar Murillo of the Venezuelan human rights group Provea. “This is less about compassion and more about avoiding further economic strangulation.” Meanwhile, in the U.S., immigration hardliners praised the development as a step toward fulfilling President Donald Trump’s pledge for the largest deportation campaign in American history.
The backdrop to this agreement includes a controversial episode earlier this month when the Trump administration deported 238 Venezuelans to El Salvador, bypassing Venezuela entirely. The move, facilitated by a $6 million deal with Bukele’s government, drew outrage from Caracas and raised alarms among human rights groups over the conditions in CECOT, known for its mass detentions and lack of due process. Maduro has vowed to deliver an “official document” backed by “millions of signatures” to El Salvador demanding the deportees’ return, though diplomatic ties between the two nations remain severed.
For the U.S., the resumption of direct deportations to Venezuela could streamline its immigration enforcement efforts, particularly as it grapples with record border crossings by Venezuelans fleeing their country’s crisis. The Biden administration had previously struggled to deport Venezuelans due to the regime’s refusal to cooperate, often relying on Mexico or other nations to accept deportees. Trump’s approach, combining economic leverage and wartime legal authority, appears to have forced Maduro’s hand.
As flights prepare to resume, the international community watches closely. The agreement may signal a rare moment of détente between Washington and Caracas, though underlying tensions—over oil, elections, and human rights—remain unresolved. For the thousands of Venezuelan migrants caught in this saga, the coming days will determine whether they face a return to an uncertain future in their homeland or continued uncertainty abroad.
