A family of Venezuelan migrants arriving in Caracas from Mexico thanks to the Vuelta a la Patria program on Monday, February 24, 2025. Photo: IG/@nawseas.
This Monday, February 24, 242 Venezuelan migrants arrived in Venezuela from Mexico on a Vuelta a la Patria program flight. Among them were 75 minors and 74 women, reported Venezuela’s Internal Minister Diosdado Cabello. This is the fourth repatriation flight organized by Venezuelan authorities in coordination with Donald Trump’s administration in the United States.
“Venezuela is welcoming these fellow Venezuelans with love today. Children are coming, we are welcoming them with recreational activities,” Cabello said from the Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetia, La Guaira state.
Minister Cabello explained that Venezuelan authorities will again comply with the protocols to guarantee the necessary medical and identification support, especially for minors.
“A 16-year-old girl comes alone, and her father is going to wait for her here. Children come who do not have any type of identification because they were born over there and have not been registered in the civil registry. From here, from Venezuela, the agencies are ready and willing to assist them and register their identity before carrying out the medical and psychological examination and the interviews,” Cabello said.
In addition, adults will have their criminal records checked to determine who has any pending criminal proceedings in the country. Cabello reported that from the first two flights, there were only seven nationals with pending proceedings with the Venezuelan judiciary, along with eight others who arrived on the third flight.
“We do it with the necessary rigor because they told us that criminals of all kinds come from the United States and [in reality] they are a minority. [They say] that they came from the Tren de Aragua, and not a single one belongs to that gang. We have the identities of all of them [Tren de Aragua members] who left because of the action, the combat, and the law enforcement agencies. All of them went to Colombia to be protected by Álvaro Uribe and Iván Duque,” explained Cabello.
The Chavista leader said that once all the information of those returning is verified, they will be taken home to be “received by their families.” He added that this is possible thanks to the Vuelta de la Patria program, organized by President Nicolás Maduro to return Venezuelans from abroad on Conviasa planes and public land transportation, clear evidence of the humanist character of the Bolivarian Revolution.
He also called on Venezuelans who want to return not to be fooled. “Our Venezuelan embassies have the appropriate team to handle the paperwork. There are no agents or intermediaries,” in response to information provided by the same migrants telling the government that there are mafias asking them to pay to get on the Vuelta a la Patria flights.
Coyotes
Cabello also condemned the “coyotes” who try to charge migrants to receive care under this Venezuelan government program.
“These are processes that are done without an agent. The Bolivarian government does this absolutely free of charge. There is no such thing as ‘I have a contact’ or ‘I know the coyote who can take you to Venezuela,’ they are scamming you,” Cabello warned.
He reiterated that the repatriated people are “good Venezuelans” who are victims of a media campaign against the country.
This flight was the third group of Venezuelans returning to the country. The first arrived on February 10, with 190 Venezuelans arriving on two flights from the United States. The second group arrived on February 20, with 177 nationals rescued from the US military base in Guantánamo. On both occasions, all were men.
(Últimas Noticias) by Aliarly Carrillo with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SF
