Venezuela agrees to accept repatriation flights of migrants as US ramps up crackdown

One week after more than 200 Venezuelans accused of being gang members were sent to El Salvador, Venezuela reached an agreement to resume repatriation flights of migrants from the United States, the Venezuelan government said in a statement Saturday.

The statement, issued by Venezuela’s President of Parliament Jorge Rodriguez, said the flights would start on Sunday, March 23.

Flights were suspended last month after U.S. President Donald Trump accused Venezuela of failing to meet its commitments, prompting Caracas to refuse further deportation flights. However, Washington later deported 238 Venezuelans, allegedly linked to the Tren de Aragua gang—designated a foreign terrorist organisation by Trump—to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, a move that drew strong criticism from Caracas.

“In order to ensure the return of our countrymen with the protection of their human rights, we have agreed with the US government to resume the repatriation of Venezuelan migrants with a first flight tomorrow,” Venezuelan top negotiator Jorge Rodriguez said in a statement.

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“Migrating is not a crime, and we will not rest until all those who want to return are home, and until we rescue our brothers kidnapped in El Salvador,” said Rodriguez, who is also the president of Venezuela’s National Assembly.

Sunday’s trip will be the fifth flight of migrants arriving in Venezuela since Trump took office in January. Since February, about 900 Venezuelans have been repatriated, most from the United States and some from Mexico.

With inputs from agencies