177 Venezuelan Migrants Deported from Guantanamo Return to Venezuela

177 Venezuelan Migrants Deported from Guantanamo Return to Venezuela

Maiquetía, February 21, 2025: On Thursday, 170 Venezuelan migrants who had been deported from the United States and held at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base returned to Venezuela. These migrants had been detained at Guantanamo under the harsh immigration policies of President Donald Trump.

Initially, the migrants were taken to Honduras, and from there, they were flown back to Venezuela. Many of these migrants had attempted to enter the United States during Trump’s administration, and several of them had criminal charges. However, the Venezuelan government has stated that these individuals are not criminals, and they had left the country due to the sanctions imposed on Venezuela.

There have been various questions regarding the legality of holding these migrants at Guantanamo, and most of them have now been relocated. Guantanamo Bay is notorious for housing prisoners captured during the U.S. “war on terror,” and the detention of these migrants has sparked international criticism regarding the detention practices.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed that some of the detained Venezuelan migrants had connections to the "Tren de Aragua" gang, a criminal network originating from a Venezuelan prison. However, the Venezuelan government clarified that it had requested the repatriation of its citizens who were “unjustly sent to Guantanamo.”

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said, "These people are not criminals; they are individuals who left the country because of U.S. sanctions. We welcome them as a productive force, with a loving embrace."

This incident occurred at a time when legal actions are being taken against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security concerning immigrant rights, including the decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan migrants.