Deportation flights of Venezuelans from the US resumed on Wednesday, with the first plane carrying more than a hundred migrants landing back in their economically troubled country in the Biden administration’s latest attempt to deal with a swelling number of asylum seekers.
It is the first time in years that US immigration authorities are deporting people to the South American nation, marking a significant concession by the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to a long-time adversary.
The first plane, a Boeing 737 jet, took off from the Texas border town of Harlingen and landed in Miami before arriving hours later outside Caracas, Venezuela’s capital. The 130 or so passengers were Venezuelan men and women who had been bussed to the plane and were shackled at the wrists and ankles. As they boarded, they were patted down by US immigration officials.
Biden’s administration said it planned “multiple” deportation flights a week to Venezuela, under a waiver from the US Department of Transportation on travel restrictions that would put Venezuela among the top international destinations for US immigration authorities.
The first flight came a day after the country’s government and opposition agreed to work on election conditions, prompting the US Treasury Department to announce some sanctions relief for Venezuela’s oil, gas and gold mining sectors hours after the plane landed at the airport in Maiquetia.
“I am happy that today, in accordance with the agreements discussed and signed between the authorities of Venezuela and the government of the United States, the first group of repatriated Venezuelans has returned,” Maduro said in televised remarks that also touched on electoral conditions that will affect the country’s 2024 presidential election.
State television showed footage of migrants wearing face masks getting off the plane, undergoing health tests and answering questions from officials at the airport near Caracas. Maduro’s government has blamed the migration on economic sanctions.
Corey Price, an acting executive associate director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said those prioritised for the flights included recent arrivals as well as migrants who had committed crimes in the U.S. Border Patrol chief Jason Owens said the passengers had entered the U.S. illegally between ports of entry.
“This flight to Venezuela is the first I’ve seen in my career of an entire charter flight of Venezuelans going back to their country. And we plan to have several more of these in the coming days and weeks,” Price said.
The deportees will be returning to a country still in the midst of a complex social, political and economic crisis.
The situation has evolved since a global drop in the price of oil – Venezuela’s most valuable resource – a decade ago and mismanagement by the self-proclaimed socialist government sent the country into a downward spiral. People are struggling with constant food price hikes and business closures, and workers are trying to meet their needs on a monthly minimum wage of $3.70 that’s barely enough to buy a gallon of water.
Maduro’s government has said it will provide resources to help deported migrants.
The US government uses a fleet of charter airlines known collectively as ICE Air. However, according to the Department of Homeland Security, these charter flights, which typically carry 135 migrants, will fly from unspecified airports in the United States to Venezuela. They will be for Venezuelans who have received final orders of deportation, which are issued after losing an asylum case, or for those who haven’t been able to apply for humanitarian protection.
The flights are in response to “an increase in migration from Venezuela that is straining immigration systems throughout the hemisphere – including in the United States,” the Department of Transportation said in its waiver.
The US has struggled for years to deport people to countries with which it has strained diplomatic relations, including Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. After a hiatus of more than two years, Cuba allowed US deportations to resume in April, although deportation flights there are only about once a month.
The US government hopes that the latest threat of deportation will be enough to make Venezuelans think twice about trying to enter the US illegally – and instead use the online appointment system to apply for asylum or try other legal routes. But it has not deterred many from continuing to migrate.
Venezuelan migration to the US slowed a year ago when the Biden administration agreed to allow Venezuelans to enter the country if they applied online with a financial sponsor who also arrived at the airport. More than 61,000 Venezuelans have arrived through this route since last October.
The resumption of deportation flights comes just weeks after the Biden administration announced it would grant temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who arrived in the US by 31 July.
The temporary status will make it easier for them to obtain work permits and stop deportation orders.
Experts and immigration attorneys are urging Venezuelans to apply for TPS to prevent their deportation.
“Venezuelans who have not applied for TPS and have deportation orders could be affected,” said Rachel Leon, an immigration attorney in Florida. “Those who are eligible for TPS should apply as soon as possible to avoid deportation.”
At the same time, Mexico agreed to take back some Venezuelans deported from the US after crossing the border illegally, recognising that Venezuela wouldn’t.
The lull was short-lived. In August, Venezuelans were arrested more than 22,000 times for crossing the border illegally, fourth only to people from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. Many are heading to New York, Chicago and other major US cities, overwhelming shelters and temporary housing.
