The interior minister stated that the deportee is affiliated with a gang from Trujillo state known as ‘El Cagon,’ without providing further details about the individual’s identity.
Venezuelan officials announced the arrival on Sunday of a fresh batch of 175 expellees from the U.S., which included a notorious gang leader — this being the initial instance where Caracas acknowledged that a convict was part of such returnees.
US President
Donald Trump
Since taking office in January, they have initiated a stringent approach towards immigrants, resulting in the deportation of numerous individuals to Latin American countries. These people have been labeled as “criminals” by their government.
“For the first time, during these trips… an individual of significance has arrived who is wanted by the Venezuelan judicial system,” stated Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.
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The minister also stated that the individual “does not come from Tren de Aragua,” alluding to the Venezuelan gang which Washington has labeled as a “foreign terrorist organization” and alleges that numerous deported Venezuelan migrants are affiliated with this group.
Cabello welcomed the migrants at the Maiquetia International Airport, which serves Caracas.
“He is associated with a gang from Trujillo state, known as ‘El Cagon,’ ” Cabello said, without providing additional information about the criminal’s identity.
Cabello mentioned that regarding the migrants received by
Venezuela
So far, none have been part of Tren de Aragua.
In 2019, Venezuela and the United States severed their diplomatic ties, but they reconciled in January to discuss arrangements for deportation flights.
The collaboration was halted for a month following Washington’s crackdown on Venezuela’s oil industry, but services restarted just last week.
The flight that arrived on Sunday was the third to land since operations resumed.
Altogether, 918 individuals have reached Venezuela following their deportation from the United States. Additionally, 553 migrants have come back from elsewhere.
Mexico
, though it remained uncertain if they had been initially deported from US territory.
On Saturday, Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro stated that the U.S. had deported 324 Venezuelan immigrants to a high-security prison.
El Salvador
, noting that an official list had not been supplied.
According to the
United Nations
Nearly eight million Venezuelans have departed their nation due to an economic crisis that started showing signs of improvement in 2021.
The authorities assert that over 1.2 million individuals have come back.
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