The U.S. has restarted deportation flights to Venezuela. On Monday, two flights left El Paso, Texas, with nearly 190 Venezuelan migrants.
This is a major shift in policy. Deportation flights stopped for years. In October 2023, the Biden administration briefly restarted them. Many Venezuelans are fleeing their country. Since 2014, about eight million people have left. From October 2023 to September 2024, Venezuelans ranked second in U.S. border crossings.
Trump’s Role in the Deportations
The flights happened after a meeting between Trump’s envoy, Richard Grenell, and Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro. Soon after, Venezuela released six Americans.
Grenell was in El Paso on Monday. He watched as migrants boarded the planes. “Two planes of illegal immigrants left El Paso today — paid for by the Venezuelans,” Grenell posted on X. Venezuelan media showed the planes arriving. Maduro said the move promotes “peace and cooperation.”
Legal Fight Over Guantánamo Transfers
The U.S. is also moving some migrants to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. This has caused legal battles. A judge in New Mexico stopped the transfer of three Venezuelan men. Lawyers say they were wrongly linked to a gang.
The Trump administration is now cracking down on immigration. The new deportation plan has raised legal and humanitarian concerns.