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By Jesus Mesa
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The Trump administration on Friday denied reports from Caracas alleging that the United States had abruptly halted deportation flights to Venezuela.
Venezuelan authorities said the U.S. government had unilaterally suspended a scheduled deportation flight that was due to land on December 12. The claim came in a statement issued by Venezuela’s Ministry of Justice on Thursday, which accused the U.S. of disrupting a process that had previously been agreed upon.
“This Thursday, the Venezuelan government received the decision by the United States government to unilaterally suspend the return of Venezuelan citizens who were scheduled to return on December 12,” the statement said.
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But the Trump administration pushed back on that characterization. A White House official told Newsweek on Friday that deportation flights to Venezuela “will continue,” rejecting the Venezuelan government’s claim.
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Why It Matters
President Donald Trump promised his administration would carry out the mass deportation of millions of illegal immigrants once he returned to the White House in January.
Deportation flights to Venezuela restarted in late 2023 under the Biden administration after a pause of more than four years, with officials on both sides describing the process as one based on limited but functional cooperation.
What To Know
The dispute over deportation logistics comes at a moment of rapidly escalating confrontation between Washington and Caracas. Since returning to office, Trump has launched a multipronged campaign to weaken President Nicolás Maduro’s grip on power. The White House has deployed warships to the Caribbean, reactivated regional military bases, and signaled potential covert or limited military operations targeting Maduro’s regime and its alleged links to drug trafficking.
On Thursday, the U.S. seized a Venezuelan-flagged oil tanker accused of smuggling sanctioned crude. Treasury officials have also moved to blacklist networks tied to the so-called Cartel of the Suns—an alleged Venezuela-based trafficking organization that Trump officials intend to designate as a foreign terrorist group.
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The White House has warned that such moves are part of a broader effort to “use every element of American power,” as one senior official told Newsweek, to combat both the flow of narcotics and what they call state-sponsored criminality.
Venezuelan officials have rejected the allegations and said the country is under threat of foreign aggression. In response to the military buildup and seizures, Maduro has ordered the mobilization of militias and warned of a long conflict if attacked.
Even as tensions between Washington and Caracas intensified, deportation flights continued uninterrupted, with no indication of a policy change. Yet the Venezuelan statement added fuel to speculation about possible U.S. military movement against the Maduro government.
Earlier this month, international airlines, including Avianca and Iberia, suspended flights to Caracas, citing security concerns, further reinforcing perceptions of growing instability.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday: "They've treated us badly, and I guess now we're not treating them so good. If you look at the drug traffic—drug traffic by sea is down 92 percent, and nobody can figure out who the 8 percent is. … We'll start that on land, too. It's going to be starting on land pretty soon."
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in a Wednesday statement: "Stop the illegal and brutal intervention of the United States in Venezuela and Latin America. Enough of these endless wars, dammit. Enough of these imperial massacres. This homeland belongs to the noble, sovereign, and valiant people of Venezuela."
What Happens Next
As of Friday, no additional flights had been publicly confirmed. But both governments appear dug in: Venezuela maintains the U.S. pulled back without warning, and the Trump administration says deportations will continue regardless of public statements out of Caracas.
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