Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that Venezuela has agreed to take back all Venezuelan migrants detained in the United States and provide transportation for their return.
“Venezuela has agreed to receive, back into their country, all Venezuela illegal aliens who were encamped in the US, including gang members of Tren de Aragua,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
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The Venezuelan government has yet to respond to the announcement.
Key Diplomatic Meeting
Trump’s statement came a day after U.S. envoy Richard Grenell met with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas. The visit led to the release of six U.S. citizens. According to the Trump administration, Grenell’s mission focused on securing the release of detained Americans and arranging the deportation of Venezuelan migrants.
However, the White House clarified that the visit did not mean the U.S. now recognizes Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader. Relations between the two countries have been strained due to sanctions, diplomatic breakdowns, and accusations of coup attempts.
Grenell insisted that no financial or other concessions were made to Maduro.
“The only award for Maduro was my physical presence, the first senior US official to visit the country in years,” he told The Wall Street Journal. “It was a big gift to him to have a visit by an envoy of President Trump.”
Maduro, in turn, welcomed the talks, saying, “We have made a first step. Hopefully, it can continue.”
Tighter Immigration Controls
Trump framed the agreement as another step in his broader effort to push Latin American and Central American countries to take back deported migrants.
“We are in the process of removing record numbers of illegal aliens from all countries, and all countries have agreed to accept these illegal aliens back,” he said.
Meanwhile, tensions between the U.S. and Colombia eased last week when the White House announced that Colombia had agreed to accept military aircraft carrying deported migrants, preventing a potential trade dispute.
Mexico, which had initially refused to accept a U.S. military deportation flight after Trump took office, has since allowed non-Mexican migrants deported from the U.S. to enter its territory.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum suggested that similar agreements could be reached between the U.S. and other Central American nations to accept deported migrants.
Since returning to office on January 20, Trump has issued a series of executive orders aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration, including measures to deport record numbers of undocumented migrants.
