Topline
The Biden Administration is set to resume the deportation of Venezuelan migrants, according to multiple outlets, a move that follows a sharp rise in Venezuelans journeying to the U.S. and comes just weeks after a temporary legal status was granted for an estimated 472,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the U.S. as of July 31.
Venezuelan migrants arrive from Panama after failing to cross to the US, at the Simon Bolivar … [+]
Key Facts
U.S. officials plan to resume deportation flights for the migrants who enter the country unlawfully, approximately 50,000 of whom have crossed the border recently, an all-time record, according to internal federal data obtained by CBS.
The Venezuelan government acknowledged the initiative, saying it reached an agreement with the U.S. for orderly repatriation of the migrants, many of which have sought to escape Venezuela’s economic collapse and authoritarian government, according to the Associated Press.
Officials told CBS that Venezuelans who can prove they could be persecuted if they return to the country would not be deported.
Deportations will be focused on Venezuelans who arrived after the July 31 temporary protection program cut-off date, though one administration official told CBS the U.S. will promptly remove Venezuelans already in federal custody.
What We Don’t Know
It is unclear when the deportation flights will start or how frequently they will be going to Venezuela.
Big Number
More than 7.7 million. That’s the number of people who have fled Venezuela in favor of neighboring countries and the U.S, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
Key Background
Venezuelans have endured an economic and humanitarian crisis leaving them with mass food insecurity and healthcare issues, along with security concerns from armed groups in the country and an authoritarian government. The government, led by Nicolás Maduro, has arrested political opponents and more than 15,000 civilians from 2014 to 2022, some of whom have been prosecuted in military courts or left for years in pretrial detention, according to Human Rights Watch. The decision to resume deportation flights materialized the same day the Biden Administration announced it plans to resume construction of the border wall pioneered by former President Donald Trump. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called the move “a step backwards.”
Further Reading
Biden Reverses Course And Plans New Border Wall Construction—Trump Demands Apology (Forbes)
Biden administration is resuming deportation flights for Venezuelan migrants as arrivals grow (Associated Press)
U.S. to restart deportations to Venezuela in effort to reduce record border arrivals (CBS)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/10/05/biden-administration-will-resume-deportation-flights-for-venezuelan-migrants/