Venezuela has reversed course and will resume accepting U.S. deportation flights after a direct request from President Donald Trump’s administration, officials confirmed Tuesday. The decision marks a swift shift from just days earlier, when Caracas suddenly suspended the flights following Trump’s threat to declare all Venezuelan airspace off-limits.
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Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro announced that the deportation flights would restart at Washington’s urging. For months, planes carrying migrants have been landing outside Caracas on aircraft operated either by a U.S. government contractor or by Venezuela’s state-run airline. More than 13,000 migrants have been returned this year alone, including a flight that arrived on Friday.
Venezuela long resisted taking deportees from the United States, but Maduro relented under Trump’s mounting pressure earlier this year. Despite escalating tensions, the flights remain one of the few points of cooperation between the two countries. Meanwhile, U.S. forces have intensified strikes on suspected narco-traffickers operating in Caribbean waters near Venezuela, prompting speculation that similar missions could expand onto Venezuelan soil.
Trump hinted that land-based operations may soon follow, emphasizing that U.S. intelligence already knows the trafficking routes and networks. A surge of U.S. bombers and the recent arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford — the world’s largest aircraft carrier — have added to speculation of a broader military buildup in the region.
According to the Miami Herald, Trump issued Maduro a stark ultimatum during a recent call: step aside or face potential U.S. action. Maduro resisted, demanding global amnesty, insisting on control of Venezuela’s military, and refusing an immediate departure — leaving the standoff between the two countries as tense as ever.[/read]