This Monday, 242 Venezuelan migrants repatriated from Mexico arrived at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas. The reception of the repatriated individuals was led by the Minister of Popular Power for Interior Relations, Justice and Peace of Venezuela, Diosdado Cabello, who reported that among those returning were families and 74 minors.
In statements, Cabello highlighted that the Venezuelan government is involved in facilitating the return of migrants, from the president to the last official, in an operation aimed at assisting compatriots. Nicolás Maduro, president of Venezuela, confirmed that most of the migrants returning from the United States are hardworking individuals and are not linked to criminal activities, thus refuting claims made by U.S. authorities.
Maduro pointed out that for years there has been a campaign to negatively stigmatize Venezuelan migration, driven, in his opinion, by the "extremist right." Regarding the repatriated individuals, the president expressed that they have been welcomed with open arms and reunited with their families, urging community circuits to protect them.
The Venezuelan president stated that his country welcomes its citizens returning after suffering abroad due to international sanctions. Maduro announced that there are more than 500 Venezuelans in Mexico ready to return, and explained that those repatriated are evaluated according to a protocol for reviewing police records to determine their legal status.
Maduro detailed that Venezuelan migration served as a "pressure valve" in previous years due to U.S. sanctions that severely impacted the country's economy. In repatriation flights from the United States, he pointed out that very few citizens have criminal records in Venezuela.
