President Maduro mentioned the handover was a ‘direct request’ from his authorities to the US and added that his countrymen have been ‘rescued’.
The USA has despatched greater than 177 deported Venezuelan migrants from the Washington-controlled army base in Guantanamo to Venezuela.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed it transported the Venezuelans to Honduras on Thursday.
Venezuelan authorities took custody of the deportees from Soto Cano – a joint US-Honduras army airbase – earlier than flying them to Caracas on a flag provider Conviasa flight.
Venezuela’s Inside Minister Diosdado Cabello was on the airport when the airplane landed, and boarded the plane to welcome the arrivals.
President Nicolas Maduro mentioned the handover was the results of a “direct request” from his authorities to the US and added that his countrymen have been “rescued”.
A spokesperson from the Division of Homeland Safety mentioned amongst these launched have been 126 people with prison expenses or convictions, out of which 80 have been allegedly affiliated with Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan prison organisation. The remaining 51 had no prison historical past.
Cabello mentioned in a televised assertion that each one 177 would endure well being checks earlier than any pending prison expenses would proceed in Venezuelan courts.
Following this switch on Thursday, no extra migrant detainees stay on the naval base, the spokesperson mentioned.
Nonetheless, The Related Press reported, quoting Thomas Cartwright of Witness on the Border, an advocacy group that tracks deportation flights, that extra immigrant switch flights arrived in Guantanamo Bay on Thursday.
In line with Cartwright, the flights originated from Texas and Louisiana.
The deportation befell after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit searching for entry to dozens of migrants held at Guantanamo Bay – an institution riddled with allegations of injustice and abuse following the September 11, 2001 assaults – claiming they have been being denied legal professionals.
In a court docket submitting on Thursday, US authorities mentioned Venezuela had traditionally resisted accepting the repatriation of its residents however had modified its stance after “high-level political discussions and an funding of great assets”.
Final week, Venezuela despatched two planes to the US which returned some 190 Venezuelan deportees house, indicating bettering relations between each international locations after the US accused President Maduro of stealing an election.
