U.S. to restart deporting Venezuelans
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Asylum seekers cross the Rio Grande from Mexico into the United States. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images
The Biden administration plans to resume deportation flights to Venezuela in the coming days after the government in Caracas agreed to cooperate for the first time in years, senior administration officials told reporters on Thursday.
Why it matters: A surge in Venezuelan migrants and asylum seekers arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border has created a significant challenge for the Biden administration in recent months because of its inability to deport them back to their home country.
- The officials refused to provide reporters further details, including how many deportation flights they will be able to conduct.
- They said a first group of Venezuelan nationals who have not qualified for protection in the U.S. has been identified and will be deported soon. The first flights is expected within days.
- The officials stressed migrants who prove that their lives would be in danger in Venezuela will not be sent back.
Behind the scenes: The officials said the resumption of the deportation flights comes after ongoing dialogue with the Venezuelan government resulted in a deal.
- The officials refused to give details about the negotiations and declined to answer several questions about what the U.S. would give Venezuela in return.
- The Biden administration also coordinated its discussions with the government in Caracas with the Venezuelan opposition and encouraged both sides to continue talks in order to reach a political solution in the country.
The intrigue: Just last month, the Biden administration extended and re-designated Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status, which would allow Venezuelans already in the U.S. to legally live and work in the U.S. for at least the next year and a half.
- Now it will move forward with deporting people to the same country they just offered temporary protection for.
The big picture: The announcement comes on top of the news that the administration is planning to use foreign aid to help Panama with their deportations, an unprecedented move for the U.S. government.
- It also comes after a Wednesday meeting between Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood Randall with representatives from Mexico, Colombia and Panama, one official said.
By the numbers: There has been a significant number of migrants and asylum seekers who have been voyaging through the deadly jungles of the Darién Gap that lies between Colombia and Panama, many headed for the U.S.
- 60% of the 334,000 migrants who made the trek since January have been Venezuelan, according to Panamanian statistics.
- More than 31,000 Venezuelans crossed the southern border into the U.S. in August, with 70% doing so illegally despite having the option of applying via a legal parole program.
