Venezuela has announced that a planned repatriation flight carrying Venezuelan migrants from the United States has been suspended, adding more tension to an already strained relationship between the two countries. However, U.S. officials have firmly denied this claim, insisting that deportation flights to Venezuela are continuing as normal.
According to a statement released late Thursday by Venezuela’s interior ministry, the government said it received notice from U.S. officials that the scheduled December 12 repatriation flight had been halted. The ministry described the move as a “unilateral” decision that disrupts months of coordinated efforts to return Venezuelan citizens from the United States.
The statement added that the decision went against earlier agreements made between the two governments, but expressed confidence that the United States would “rectify” the situation soon.
However, soon after Venezuela made the announcement, a senior U.S. administration official told Reuters that the claim was false. The official stated clearly: “There is no truth to this. Deportation flights to Venezuela will continue.”
The disagreement comes at a sensitive moment, as the United States increases its military presence in the southern Caribbean while President Donald Trump pushes for stronger actions against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Earlier this month, flights were briefly put on hold after Trump declared that Venezuelan airspace should be considered closed, but Venezuela later confirmed receiving a U.S. request to resume the operations.
So far in 2025, more than 18,000 Venezuelans have been sent back through these repatriation flights, most of them departing from the United States. The conflicting statements from both governments have caused confusion among migrants awaiting removal, leaving many unsure about the status of future flights.