Venezuela announced Tuesday that it will resume accepting deportation flights from the United States, following direct requests from President Donald Trump’s administration.
According to Fox News, the decision comes after Trump threatened to declare Venezuelan airspace “closed in its entirety,” prompting Maduro to cancel the twice-weekly flights on Saturday.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro confirmed on Tuesday that the flights have now resumed at the U.S. request.
Immigrants arrive regularly at the airport outside Caracas on flights operated either by a U.S. government contractor or Venezuela’s state-owned airline. More than 13,000 migrants have been returned so far this year, with the most recent flight arriving on Friday.
Previously, Venezuela had a long-standing policy of refusing U.S. deportation flights.
However, Maduro’s regime relented under pressure from Trump earlier this year, making the flights one of the few points of cooperation between the two nations amid escalating tensions.
The resumption of flights occurs as the U.S. has increased military pressure on Venezuela. Trump has targeted alleged narco-traffickers operating near Venezuela in the Caribbean and signaled that operations could expand to land-based targets.
“You know, the land is much easier, much easier. And we know the routes they take,” Trump told reporters during a White House Cabinet meeting. “We know everything about them. We know where they live. We know where the bad ones live. And we’re going to start that very soon, too.”
The U.S. has deployed dozens of bombers to the region alongside the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, signaling the scale of the military buildup. Many are now watching to see if Trump will authorize the next phase of strikes against Venezuelan targets.
In addition to military threats, Trump recently issued an ultimatum to Maduro during a phone call, demanding he step down or face potential U.S. action.
Maduro, however, resisted the demand, seeking global amnesty, insisting on retaining control of the military, and refusing an immediate exit from power, according to the Miami Herald.
The deportation flights’ resumption highlights the complex interplay of diplomacy and pressure in U.S.-Venezuela relations, even as both nations remain at odds over broader political and security issues.
