Venezuela resumes repatriation flights for citizens held in US, El Salvador prisons

Sunday

Drew Pittock Evening Digital Producer

By Drew Pittock (Evening Digital Producer)

Venezuela will continue accepting repatriation flights for its citizens deported from the U.S., officials announced Saturday. The news marks a reversal of President Nicolás Maduro’s decision earlier this month to stop receiving the flights over oil exports.
In their announcement, Venezuelan officials referenced their 238 citizens who are being held at El Salvador’s “mega-prison.”
The Trump administration alleges that deportees are affiliated with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua but has offered little information or evidence to back that claim up.

Full Story

Venezuela announced Saturday, March 23, that it will continue accepting repatriation flights for its citizens deported from the U.S. after President Nicolás Maduro initially halted them earlier this month. The first flight is scheduled for Sunday, March 23.

Bias Distribution Powered by Ground News™

“We have agreed with the U.S. government to resume the repatriation of Venezuelan migrants with an initial flight tomorrow, Sunday,” said Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela’s Assembly and Maduro’s chief negotiator with the U.S.

Venezuela had begun repatriating its citizens in February. However, Maduro ended the practice on March 8 when the U.S. Treasury Department rescinded Chevron’s permission to export oil from the country.

“Tomorrow, thanks to the government’s perseverance, we’ll resume flights to continue rescuing and freeing migrants from prisons in the United States,” Maduro said during Saturday’s announcement.

Trump turns to El Salvador, Alien Enemies Act

Following Maduro’s decision not to repatriate his citizens, the Trump administration turned to El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, who agreed to receive Venezuelans deported from the U.S. and house them at Cecot, El Salvador’s “mega-prison.”

The Trump administration then deported 238 Venezuelans, alleging they are members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. However, none of the deported individuals were identified by the administration, and it hasn’t released details regarding their criminal history or gang affiliation.

Nevertheless, by tying the individuals to Tren de Aragua (TdA), which the U.S. State Department designated as a foreign terrorist organization and “invading force,” Trump was able to deport them under the Alien Enemies Act, an 18^th-century law that allows a president to deport noncitizens during wartime.

“Over the years, Venezuelan national and local authorities have ceded ever-greater control over their territories to transnational criminal organizations, including TdA,” a statement from Trump justifying the use of the Alien Enemies Act read. “The result is a hybrid criminal state that is perpetrating an invasion of and predatory incursion into the United States, and which poses a substantial danger to the United States.”

A federal judge ordered the plane carrying the 238 Venezuelans to turn around, arguing that their deportations could not be expedited under the Alien Enemies Act. The Trump administration contended that the plane had already departed the U.S. and was flying over international waters, where the judge has no jurisdiction.

“This order disregards well-established authority regarding President Trump’s power, and it puts the public and law enforcement at risk,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said at the time.

Who are the deported?

While the administration hasn’t shared information about the 238 deported Venezuelan men –– save for the fact that 137 were deported as “enemy aliens” while the other 101 were removed under standard immigration procedures –– CBS News did obtain a list of their names. One of the documents obtained by CBS News identifies one of the men as a 26-year-old barber from Venezuela with no criminal history in either the U.S. or Venezuela.

“Migrating isn’t a crime, and we won’t rest until everyone who wants to return is back and we rescue our kidnapped brothers in El Salvador,” said Rodríguez.