An emotionally shaken Venezuelan woman holds a child arriving in a repatriation flight from the US empire on Wednesday, November 26, 2025. Photo: IG/@vueltalapatria.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Venezuela has successfully received 317 repatriated nationals this week through the Return to the Homeland Plan, with three flights landing at SimĂłn BolĂvar International Airport in MaiquetĂa, La Guaira state.
Flight 91 arrived on Monday, November 24, carrying 6 children. No information was provided about the flight’s origin or operating airline. These children join dozens of other repatriated children who were forcefully separated from their parents by the US regime’s racist and xenophobic migration policies.
Flight 92 landed on Wednesday, November 26, from the US entity, operated by the US-based Eastern Airlines. It carried 175 repatriated migrants: 142 men, 26 women, and seven children. Among the children were Aidan Acuña (4) and Aleximar Ojeda (15), who were returned after being kidnapped from their families by US authorities.
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Flight 93 arrived on Friday, November 28, from Phoenix, Arizona, also in the US, and also operated by the airline Eastern. This flight carried 136 nationals: 104 men, 24 women, and eight children. One returnee, JesĂşs Enrique, shared his emotional story: “Someone is waiting for me at home, and it’s my dad, whom I haven’t seen since my mother’s death nine years ago, after having spent four long years abroad as a migrant, and these last months as a prisoner unjustly.”
“Thank you, President Nicolás Maduro,” he added, “thank you, Minister Diosdado Cabello, for making possible this reunion, not only of my family, but of many who today come with the desire to move forward.”
Repatriations continue amid US provocations
These latest repatriations have taken place despite an illegal maneuver by the US empire attempting to disrupt international flight operations over Venezuela, as part of an unprecedented psychological operation in their latest regime change attempt against President Nicolás Maduro. These actions have served to strengthen President Maduro’s support and amplify the rejection of US interference, according to analysts.
Last week, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an alert warning international airlines about the “danger”—posed by the US empire itself—of flying within the Venezuelan Flight Information Region. Shortly after, President Donald Trump posted a social media message inexplicably claiming Venezuelan airspace was closed, under no authority or basis.
The US maneuver disrupted some international flights, particularly those to Europe; however, most air traffic, including the ongoing repatriation flights operated by a US-based airline, has remained unaffected. Analysts have criticized the US action, which was allegedly taken for “safety” but directly conflicted with the deportation flights it simultaneously conducts.
With this week’s 317 arrivals, the total number of migrants repatriated under the plan this year now stands at 17,753. This process stems from an agreement signed in February between Caracas and Washington, which have had no diplomatic relations since 2019. The agreement persists despite escalating US hostilities, including a military operation launched in August under the pretext of the so-called “war on drugs.”
That US military operation, involving lethal strikes on civilian boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, has been labeled by UN experts as extrajudicial killings that violate international law. US experts and legislators have also called the operation illegal. To date, the operation has murdered 82 civilians in the region.
Origins of displacement
The majority of Venezuelan migrants in the US entity originally left their country after being affected by the severe economic crisis between 2015 and 2020, a direct consequence of the illegal sanctions employed by the US empire and its allies.
Following a massive smear campaign and incidents of xenophobic violence in the US—falsely alleging Venezuelan migrants were criminals or mental health patients—the US government began large-scale detentions and deportations. This crackdown has targeted individuals, despite most having no criminal records and many having legal regularization procedures underway.
Venezuela Grants US Permission to Resume Repatriation Flights
Support system for returnees
Venezuelan authorities are continuing to receive all repatriated migrants following the protocols of the Return to the Homeland Plan. The comprehensive care provided upon arrival includes immediate healthcare, psychological support, and necessary legal and socioeconomic assistance to begin reintegration.
The Return to the Homeland Plan was launched by the government of President Nicolás Maduro in 2018 to repatriate, free of cost, Venezuelans in vulnerable situations stranded abroad. The program assists those who have been victims of xenophobia and exploitation, ensuring their dignified and safe return while offering sustained support for a successful reintegration into society.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/AU
