Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced Venezuela will accept deportation flights sent by the United States carrying migrants deemed illegal under Venezuelan law.
The decision follows discussions between Maduro and U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s administration regarding cooperation on deportations. Previously, Venezuela had rejected such inbound flights from the U.S.
Approximately 13,000 Venezuelans have been returned to their country through this arrangement so far this year.
Maduro suggested his government welcomed the flights in part as a strategic move, likely hoping it would persuade Trump not to proceed with an anticipated military intervention aimed at removing him from power. The agreement is seen by some analysts as one of the few remaining areas of practical interaction between the two nations, despite their strained political relations and Maduro’s regime being labeled a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Currently, nearly 30 percent of the U.S. Navy is deployed in operations targeting narco-traffickers operating from near Venezuela. Many suspect Maduro himself heads such criminal enterprises.
