Venezuela protests US' 'unilateral' suspension of deportation flight for irregular migrants

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - The Venezuelan government has announced that a repatriation flight scheduled to return irregular migrants deported from the US on Friday has been unilaterally canceled by Washington, DC.

The Ministry of Interior, Justice, and Peace issued a statement on Thursday night protesting the move, which it described as disrupting a previously coordinated process.

The government, headed by President Nicolas Maduro, stressed that the suspension halts a critical effort to address the situation of Venezuelan citizens detained in the US.

“The suspension interrupts a process that had been carried out in a coordinated manner and represented a way to alleviate the situation of compatriots detained and persecuted on US soil.”

Caracas urged Washington, DC, to "rectify the situation sooner rather than later" and immediately restart the process of returning affected Venezuelans.

The government reiterated its willingness to welcome its citizens "with open arms," guaranteeing support for their reintegration.

The unexpected move by the US comes amid severely escalating tensions between the two nations.

Since August, the US has deployed military ships and fighter jets to the Caribbean as part of an anti-drug operation, which the Maduro government considers a pretext for an attempted overthrow.

Tensions further heightened following the recent seizure of a ship carrying Venezuelan oil in the Caribbean by the US.