The first plane carrying 199 migrants deported from the US has landed in Venezuela, according to Euronews.
It was reported that on Monday morning, the plane arrived at Maiquetía International Airport, north of Caracas. Due to the lack of diplomatic relations between the US and Venezuela, the plane first took off from a military base in Texas and landed in Honduras. From there, the migrants were sent to Venezuela on another plane.
The US government stated: "There is no legal basis for these individuals to remain in the United States. We expect deportation flights to Venezuela to be carried out regularly in the future. We thank the President of Honduras, Castro, and his government for their cooperation in the fight against illegal immigration."
Last week, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and US President Donald Trump reached an agreement on the deportation of migrants. Repatriation to Venezuela had been suspended since February. This occurred after the US president revoked Chevron's license to operate in Venezuela.
Washington made the decision to resume flights to Venezuela after 238 Venezuelans were sent to the CECOT mega-prison in El Salvador. The US government accused them of being linked to the "Tren-de-Aragua" criminal group. However, relatives of the deported migrants deny these accusations.
The President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez Gómez, stated: "Migration is not a crime. We will continue to work for the return of all those in need and the release of our brothers who have been kidnapped in El Salvador."
Last week, Nicolás Maduro ordered his government to increase the number of necessary flights for the repatriation of Venezuelans detained in the US.
