US resumes deportation flights to Venezuela after earthquakes

The United States has resumed deportation flights to Venezuela, returning more than 100 Venezuelan nationals on Monday, August 3, in the first such operation since a series of devastating earthquakes struck the country in late June.

The administration of Donald Trump had been deporting hundreds of Venezuelans each week before the disaster, but operations were suspended after two earthquakes exceeding magnitude 7 killed more than 6,000 people and caused widespread destruction across the country.

The last deportation flight prior to the earthquakes carried 146 Venezuelans and landed just hours before the disaster. Many of those passengers were later killed when the hotel where they were being housed collapsed during the quake.

On Monday, a plane carrying 147 Venezuelan migrants departed from Miami and arrived in Anzoátegui state, according to CNN. The flight landed at General José Antonio Anzoátegui International Airport in the city of Barcelona. The previous flight before the earthquakes had landed at Simón Bolívar International Airport, which sustained significant damage in the tremors.

In a social media post, Mervin Maldonado, who oversees the repatriation programme on the Venezuelan side, welcomed the returnees, saying they are “returning home, to reunite with their families, to continue their education, to be productive, and to contribute to national development.”

Large numbers of Venezuelans have fled economic hardship and political repression in recent years, often undertaking dangerous journeys to reach the United States.

In October last year, the Supreme Court of the United States allowed the administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status for around 300,000 Venezuelans who had been admitted under a humanitarian programme.

Following that ruling, deportations intensified, with 1,746 Venezuelans removed in May alone, according to ICE Flight Monitor, a month before the earthquakes struck.

After U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a January military operation, deportation flights were further expanded under acting President Delcy Rodríguez.

According to Venezuela’s repatriation programme, Monday’s flight was the 165th since early 2025, when Caracas and Washington resumed deportation flights under a bilateral migration agreement.

Venezuela now faces a prolonged recovery from the twin earthquakes, which devastated large parts of the country and caused economic losses equivalent to around 6% of gross domestic product, according to the United Nations Development Programme.

Since Maduro’s capture, Rodríguez has moved to restore relations with Washington, including opening the country’s oil sector to U.S. investment, releasing some political prisoners, and aligning government policy more closely with U.S.-backed regional initiatives.

By Tamilla Hasanova