Venezuelan Government Planes Enter US Airspace to Pick Up Migrants

Two Venezuelan planes are en route from the United States to Caracas, carrying an undisclosed number of Venezuelan citizens as part of former President Donald Trump‘s mass deportation operation.

Operated by Venezuela’s state airline, Conviasa, the flights mark a rare instance of deportation cooperation between Washington and Caracas despite years of diplomatic tensions.

Why It Matters

The deportation flights follow late January negotiations between the Trump administration—led by U.S. special envoy Richard Grenell—and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government.

According to the White House, Grenell’s hourslong visit to Caracas focused on Trump’s efforts to repatriate Venezuelan nationals at a time when their home country was refusing to accept them. The discussions also facilitated the release of detained Americans just hours later. Following the talks, Trump took to Truth Social to express satisfaction with the outcome.

Trump made immigration a central theme of his successful presidential campaign. Americans largely support immigration reform overall but disagree about how policies such as deportations should be carried out.

A New York Times/Ipsos poll carried out from January 2 to 10 found 55 percent of voters strongly or somewhat supported deportations. Eighty-eight percent supported “Deporting immigrants who are here illegally and have criminal records.”

What To Know

On Monday, multiple users on X (formerly Twitter) reported sightings of two Conviasa planes in U.S. airspace. The Venezuelan government later confirmed their presence and mission.

“These plans were sent to the United States as part of the ‘Return to the Homeland’ (Retorno a la Patria) program to repatriate Venezuelan migrants,” the government stated.

The sighting was significant, as Conviasa has been under U.S. sanctions since 2020, barring it from operating in American airspace. Reports indicate the planes landed at El Paso, Texas, after a stop in Cancún, Mexico, where they picked up Venezuelan nationals.

After meeting with Maduro in Caracas, Grenell said that Venezuela had agreed to provide transportation for deported migrants, explaining why Conviasa was granted clearance to fly over U.S. airspace.

Among those being deported are individuals allegedly linked to Tren de Aragua, a transnational criminal organization that U.S. authorities have connected to violent crimes across Latin America and within the U.S.

“Venezuela has agreed to take back all Venezuelan illegal aliens encamped in the US, including gang members from Tren de Aragua. The Venezuelan government has also agreed to supply transportation for their return,” Grenell posted on social media.

The Venezuelan government’s decision to accept deportees comes amid recent tensions between the Trump administration and Colombia over a similar effort. After a diplomatic standoff, Colombia ultimately agreed to use its planes to facilitate deportations—a move widely seen as a political win for Trump.

“We proposed that Venezuelan plans be used to retrieve and transport the migrants who are now returning to their homeland. It is an irrevocable position of our government to address the needs of our migrants and uphold their rights, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” the Venezuelan government said in a statement.

Critics argue that the repatriation program serves as a propaganda tool for the Maduro government, allowing it to score political points while ignoring the broader reality—more than six million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2017.

Venezuela Rejects US Allegations

The flights come amid controversy over the handling of deportees allegedly linked to organized crime. The Trump administration has accused Venezuela of sheltering members of Tren de Aragua. Venezuela has rejected the claims as a “false and malicious narrative” aimed at stigmatizing its migrant population.

The Venezuelan government also accused the Biden administration of manufacturing the issue to vilify Venezuelan migrants.

“This narrative has been promoted by the media and representatives of the Biden administration to penalize all Venezuelan migrants and stigmatize our country,” Venezuela’s statement said. “On the contrary, the vast majority of migrants are decent and hardworking individuals.”

What People Are Saying

The Venezuelan government, in a press release on Monday: “The Government of President Nicolás Maduro Moros reiterates its proposal, within the framework of the ‘Zero Agenda,’ for a fresh start in relations between both countries, based on mutual respect and the safeguarding of our self-determination.”

White House press secretary Katherine Leavitt, in January: “Migrants who are here illegally are criminals, as far as this administration is concerned. I understand the previous administration didn’t see it that way, so it’s a significant ‘culture shift’ to recognize law-breakers as criminals—but that’s what they are.”

What Happens Next

With this move, Maduro hopes to improve relations with the U.S. government, positioning himself for a diplomatic reset under the “Zero Agenda,” a proposal aimed at reestablishing ties between Washington and Caracas. The two nations have maintained a fraught relationship since Hugo Chávez took office in 1998.

In a further shift in policy, the Trump administration has also revoked Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans, a measure that previously shielded nearly 350,000 from deportation. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem justified the decision by asserting that conditions in Venezuela had improved. Human rights organizations strongly dispute this claim.