2023-10-06 16:18:28
The United States announced this Thursday that it has reached an agreement with the government of President Nicolás Maduro for the “direct repatriation” of Venezuelans to their country.
“We have already identified people in custody who will be expelled quickly in the coming days,” said a US official who requested anonymity in a telephone press conference.
“All of these people have gone through our US immigration system and have not been able to demonstrate that they have a legal basis to remain in the United States,” he added.
The senior official did not want to go into details regarding the negotiations with the Maduro government, subject to sanctions from Washington for considering his re-election in 2018 fraudulent.
In a statement, Maduro announces that “he has signed an agreement” that allows “the orderly, safe, and legal repatriation of Venezuelan citizens from the United States through the “Return to the Homeland” program.”
In reference to US sanctions, Caracas attributes migration to the “application of unilateral coercive measures and the blockade” of the economy.
For some time now, the US government has been willing to progressively lift the financial sanctions it imposed on the country if agreements are reached between Maduro and the opposition for the elections scheduled for next year.
Washington calls for the elections, in which Maduro aspires to re-election, to be “free and fair.”
Venezuelans make up a good part of the migrants intercepted by border patrol on the border with Mexico in recent months.
Washington will expel Venezuelan migrants who have arrived following July 31 because those who entered before that day can benefit from immigration protection that allows almost half a million of them to access a residence and work permit for 18 months.
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