A U.S. government charter flight carrying 172 undocumented Venezuelan migrants touched down in Caracas on Friday, marking the second deportation arrival this week after Venezuela reauthorized the landing of such flights—despite President Donald Trump’s earlier declaration that the country’s airspace was “closed.”
The plane, which departed from Phoenix, Arizona, arrived amid heightened tensions and a major U.S. military buildup across Caribbean waters.
The Trump administration has intensified operations it claims are aimed at combating drug-trafficking networks allegedly tied to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. This effort has included deploying military assets to the region, among them the world’s largest aircraft carrier.
U.S. forces have carried out more than 20 strikes in the Caribbean and the Pacific in recent months, resulting in at least 87 fatalities—though U.S. officials have not provided evidence linking these actions to drug-trafficking activities.
Maduro, for his part, has accused Washington of using military pressure as part of a broader campaign to topple his government and gain control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
In late November, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert urging airlines to “take extreme precautions” when flying over Venezuelan airspace. Nearly all international carriers suspended their routes soon afterward. President Trump later declared Venezuelan airspace effectively closed.
Despite these tensions, Friday’s deportation flight proceeded as scheduled, transporting five children, 26 women, and 141 men, according to Venezuelan authorities.
With this arrival, the number of Venezuelans repatriated on the government’s “Return to the Homeland” flights has reached 18,260—more than 14,000 of whom have been returned from the United States.
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