The Venezuelan government announced an agreement with the United States to resume flights to repatriate Venezuelan migrants, starting from Sunday, under the so-called Return to the Homeland Plan.
Jorge RodrÃguez, president of Venezuela’s National Assembly (parliament) and chief negotiator with the United States, said the country had concluded an agreement to guarantee “the return of their compatriots to the country while respecting their human rights.”
The resumption of flights comes amid rising tensions over US President Donald Trump’s migration policies. Venezuela has criticised recent mass deportations and called for the release of more than 200 Venezuelan migrants held in El Salvador without due process. RodrÃguez said:
“Migration is not a crime. We will not rest until everyone who wants to return is home and until we rescue our brothers kidnapped in El Salvador.”
Repatriation flights were suspended on March 8 after Donald Trump decided to revoke the licence of US energy company Chevron to operate in Venezuela.
Earlier, a federal judge barred the Trump administration from using an 18th century law to deport five Venezuelans.
Venezuela has also joined a red list of 11 countries whose citizens can be categorically banned from entering the US.
The Venezuelan government says that since February, only 919 migrants have returned to the country on five flights from Mexico and the US base at Guantanamo Bay. Only 18 of them have pending cases with Venezuelan justice, according to the Interior Ministry.
