As tensions between the United States and Venezuela escalated in the weeks leading up to the capture of Nicolás Maduro, the Trump administration began deporting Venezuelan immigrants to Mexico, according to reporting by the Miami Herald.
Interviews conducted by the newspaper with Venezuelan migrants and their families indicate that detainees were held in Texas immigration centers before being transferred to Mexican authorities and bused to southern states, including Tabasco and Chiapas. Several migrants said they were left in cities such as Villahermosa and Palenque, areas where organized crime has expanded in recent years.
“Once I entered immigration detention, I lost everything,” said Omar Vergara Flores, a 36-year-old Venezuelan who had been living in Austin, Texas, and was detained during a routine immigration check-in. After months in custody, he was deported to Mexico on Dec. 25. An email from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer reviewed by the Herald said he was sent there because “all flights to Venezuela are on hold until further notice.”
Human rights advocates and shelter operators in Mexico told the Herald that Venezuelans have arrived in multiple waves since December, following Caracas’ decision to suspend acceptance of U.S. deportation flights amid worsening diplomatic relations. The last known U.S. deportation flight to Venezuela took place on Dec. 10, according to Human Rights First.
The Department of Homeland Security declined to provide figures to The Herald on how many Venezuelans have been sent to Mexico or the agreements governing those transfers. Mexican authorities also did not respond to questions about why deportees were transported to southern regions far from Mexico City, where Venezuela’s only consulate is located.
Advocates say the policy has left deported Venezuelans without legal status, documentation, or access to services. “The level of vulnerability Venezuelans face in Mexico is extremely serious,” said July Rodríguez, who works with Venezuelan migrants in the country.
Earlier this week, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans, arguing that conditions had improved after Maduro’s capture.
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Noem said Venezuela is “more free today than it was yesterday” and insisted that TPS holders have alternative legal options. “Every individual that was under TPS has the opportunity to apply for refugee status,” she said. “We need to make sure that our programs actually mean something and that we are following the law.”
The move affects roughly 600,000 people and has drawn criticism from local officials and migrant advocates, who say uncertainty and fear have intensified among Venezuelan communities in the United States.
Several detainees told the Herald they believed they would be returned to Venezuela, not sent to third countries. “We mean nothing to them,” said Vergara Flores’ wife, Jennyfer Carrillo.
Originally published on Latin Times
