Venezuela has reversed course and will keep taking U.S. deportation flights after a direct request from President Donald Trump’s administration, officials announced Tuesday.
The move comes just days after Caracas abruptly halted the twice-weekly flights when Trump threatened to declare the airspace “above and surrounding” Venezuela “closed in its entirety.” Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro said Tuesday that the flights are back on at Washington’s request.
Planes full of migrants have been landing outside Caracas for months on aircraft operated by a U.S. government contractor or Venezuela’s state airline. More than 13,000 immigrants have been sent back this year alone on charter flights, including one that touched down Friday.
For years, Venezuela refused to accept deportation flights from the U.S., but Maduro buckled under Trump’s pressure earlier this year. The flights are one of the rare points of cooperation between the two countries even as tensions keep rising.
U.S. forces have struck alleged narco-traffickers operating in Caribbean waters near Venezuela, and Trump has hinted those missions could soon move onto land as he ramps up pressure on Maduro to give up power.
“You know, the land is much easier, much easier. And we know the routes they take,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House. “We know everything about them. We know where they live. We know where the bad ones live. And we’re going to start that very soon too.”
Dozens of U.S. bombers have surged into the region along with the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, signaling a major buildup. With bombers and the Ford now in place, global attention is locked on whether Trump will authorize the next wave of strikes on Venezuelan targets.
Trump recently delivered an ultimatum to Maduro on a phone call, warning him to step aside or face possible U.S. military action. Maduro pushed back, seeking global amnesty, insisting on keeping control of the military and refusing an immediate exit, according to the Miami Herald.
