CARACAS, Feb 21, (V7N) - The United States deported 177 Venezuelan migrants from its military base in Guantanamo, Cuba, back to their homeland on Thursday, marking a rare instance of cooperation between the long-hostile governments of Washington and Caracas.

Officials from both nations confirmed that the deportees were first flown to Honduras, where the Venezuelan government took custody of them.

This development would have been unthinkable just weeks earlier, as the U.S. had accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of electoral fraud. However, relations between the two countries have warmed since Donald Trump took office as U.S. president four weeks ago, with immigration policy becoming a key focus for his administration.

Trump’s envoy, Richard Grenell, visited Caracas on January 31, meeting with Maduro despite the U.S. previously placing a $25 million bounty on his arrest. The visit led to the release of six American prisoners, and the following day, Trump announced that Venezuela had agreed to accept deported migrants from the U.S.

The Venezuelan government stated that it had requested the return of its citizens, whom it claimed were “unjustly taken to the Guantanamo naval base.” The request was approved, and the deportees were first transferred to Honduras before being repatriated.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed the deportation, stating that “177 Venezuelan illegal aliens from Guantanamo Bay were transported to Honduras today for pickup by the Venezuelan government.”

Venezuela severed diplomatic ties with the U.S. in January 2019 after Washington recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the country’s legitimate interim president, following a disputed 2018 election.

In October 2023, Maduro briefly permitted U.S. deportation flights to Venezuela, but he revoked that permission four months later. Meanwhile, his government has continued offering free or subsidized repatriation flights for Venezuelans who voluntarily wish to return home.

Maduro is eager to ease U.S. sanctions and move past the controversy surrounding the disputed July 2024 election, which was recognized by multiple nations as an opposition victory. The contested results triggered widespread protests in Venezuela, leading to at least 2,400 arrests, 28 deaths, and around 200 injuries.

In the U.S., human rights groups have taken legal action to gain access to migrants detained at Guantanamo. Trump had previously ordered the base to prepare for up to 30,000 undocumented migrants arriving in the U.S.

Guantanamo has long been associated with human rights abuses, particularly regarding detainees held there in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

Additionally, on Thursday, the U.S. deported another group of 135 migrants of various nationalities to Costa Rica. Authorities in San José reported that these individuals—originating from countries such as China, Russia, Afghanistan, Ghana, and Vietnam—would then be repatriated to their respective homelands.

Costa Rica, along with Panama, has been acting as a temporary transit hub for migrants deported under Trump’s administration.

END/WD/RH/