Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during his television program Con Maduro+. Photo: Presidential Press.
This Monday, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned a “network of coyotes” promoting the illegal migration of Venezuelans to the United States. Behind the network are Venezuelan opposition politicians such as David Smolansky, Carlos Vecchio, Leopoldo López, and Juan Guiado, using social media platforms such as TikTok.
“That perverse quartet, fugitives from Venezuelan justice, is behind the coyote networks, and they enrich themselves” with it. “They have deceived thousands of Venezuelans into going to different destinations in South America. Now they take them in the worst conditions, charging them thousands of dollars,” President Maduro said during his television show Con Maduro+.
Caracas and Washington Sign Agreement for Migrant Repatriation (+Plan Vuelta a la Patria)
When referring to the United States’ statements regarding the security for Venezuelans to return to their country, President Maduro recalled that the United States recently signed an agreement with Venezuela on that issue. Venezuelan authorities have confirmed their participation in an upcoming summit on migration organized by the Mexican government to address the migration issue.
President Maduro said that the Venezuelan government has established the Return to the Homeland (Vuelta a la Patria) Plan and that all fellow Venezuelans are welcome back. Through this program, almost 400,000 Venezuelans have returned, with the Venezuelan government “offering our planes, covering all expenses and free of charge.”
“They have returned by plane. Some have returned by bus. Today, we can count that of the two million Venezuelans who migrated in these years of brutal economic war, almost one million have already returned to Venezuela. Above all, those who were in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and part of those who were in Colombia have returned. We have supported them to a large extent with the Vuelta a la Patria Plan,” President Maduro added.
Some international organizations and mainstream media have claimed that more than seven million Venezuelans have migrated, claiming they are refugees, while in reality, they are economic migrants. This issue was also highlighted by President Maduro during his television program.
(Alba Ciudad) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SF
