Overview
- The Department of Homeland Security confirmed a repatriation flight carrying 147 Venezuelan nationals landed in Barcelona, Anzoátegui, marking the first U.S. removal to Venezuela since the late‑June earthquakes.
- DHS declined to say whether flights will continue on a regular schedule, citing operational security, while Venezuela’s repatriation agency said the arrival was the 165th flight since early 2025.
- Advocates and community leaders urged a halt to removals, saying widespread infrastructure damage, displacement and a death toll of more than 6,000 make Venezuela unsafe to receive returnees.
- Policy shifts that enabled the restart include a migration agreement that resumed flights in early 2025 and a U.S. Supreme Court decision last October that cleared the way to end Temporary Protected Status for many Venezuelans.
- Returned migrants may face damaged housing, limited services and strained local relief, and U.S. communities that hosted Venezuelans are pressing the government to consider humanitarian and legal risks before additional removals.