US plane returns 172 Venezuelan migrants to Caracas Despite Trump airspace warning

A plane from the United States carrying 172 expelled undocumented Venezuelan migrants landed in Caracas on December 5, as per foreign media reports.

It follows Venezuela’s decision to reauthorise deportation flights despite President Donald Trump’s declaration that Venezuelan airspace was “closed.”

The aircraft, originating from Phoenix, Arizona, marked the second flight this week to transport deportees from the US to Venezuela, amid a massive American military buildup in Caribbean waters.

The Trump administration has intensified a campaign targeting what it describes as drug-trafficking operations allegedly linked to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. As part of these efforts, the US has deployed military forces to Latin America, including the world’s largest aircraft carrier.

In recent months, US forces have conducted more than 20 strikes in the Caribbean and the Pacific, resulting in at least 87 deaths, though no evidence has been provided linking these strikes to drug trafficking activities. Maduro has accused the United States of using the deployments as part of a broader campaign to overthrow his government and seize Venezuela’s substantial oil reserves.

At the end of November, the US Federal Aviation Administration warned carriers to “take extreme precautions” when flying over Venezuela, prompting nearly all international airlines to suspend flights. Trump, emphasising his hardline stance on undocumented immigration — a top priority of his administration — subsequently declared Venezuelan airspace “entirely closed.”

Friday’s deportation flight included five children, 26 women, and 141 men, according to Venezuelan authorities.

Official figures indicate that this brought the total number of Venezuelans repatriated on “return to the homeland” flights to 18,260, including over 14,000 from the United States.

By Tamilla Hasanova