Iran Press/ America: Within days, flights will start returning Venezuelans who are in custody and who have no legal basis to remain in the US, officials said.
Caracas had for years declined to receive deportation flights. US officials would not say if Venezuela had been offered concessions to begin accepting migrant returns.
US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, speaking in Mexico City, cited the new measure as one of the “strict consequences” the Biden administration is pairing with the expansion of legal pathways for asylum seekers.
“Our two countries are being challenged by an unprecedented level of migration throughout our hemisphere,” Mayorkas said, referring to Mexico.
The repatriation flights are expected to begin shortly, said two US officials, though they did not provide specific details on when the flights would begin taking off. The officials were not authorized to disclose details of the government’s plan.
The resumption of deportation flights comes not long after the administration increased protected status for Venezuelans who arrive in the US, so if someone arrived in the U.S. before July 31 of this year, but not after, they’d be eligible for protection. 219
