The Masterminds Behind the Criminalization of Venezuelan Migrants

By Misión Verdad  –  Mar 25, 2025

Donald Trump made migration a central pillar of his administration. Upon arriving at the White House, he signed over 40 executive orders, six of which focused on this issue. His rhetoric solidified the idea that migration to the US represented a “threat” to national security, further criminalizing those who crossed the border.

In this context, the Venezuelan exodus has been exploited for political purposes, both by Washington and extremist sectors of Venezuela’s far-right opposition. These factions have promoted stigmatizing narratives to garner support within the White House and justify increased pressure against Venezuela.

A 2021 report by the organization Sures documented how this narrative took hold starting in 2017, when the idea of a “massive flow” of migrants became central to the international media narrative.

This phenomenon has been driven not only by unilateral sanctions but also by the Biden administration’s policies around Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The expectations generated by this mechanism encouraged many Venezuelans to traverse the dangerous Darién route and reach the US southern border, believing they could more easily obtain documentation to remain legally in that country.

The root of this reality is closely tied to the impact of illegal economic sanctions imposed by the US, which weakened Venezuela’s economy and pushed forward migration trends.

Since 2017, far-right Venezuelan opposition politicians such as María Corina Machado, Julio Borges, Leopoldo López, and David Smolansky have not only promoted these decisions against Venezuela but also used the topic as a platform to reinforce foreign interference.

Additionally, these individuals have played a central role in crafting a stigmatizing narrative around Venezuelan migration. Through their statements, they have associated migrants with criminality and regional destabilization, providing fodder for Washington’s policies and extreme measures against Venezuelans abroad.

Their claims have contributed to negative perceptions of Venezuelan migrants. One example occurred in 2017 when Julio Borges linked the displacement of fellow Venezuelans to organized crime and terrorism: “This migration problem, already a regional issue, is accompanied by other problems like organized crime, militarism, paramilitarism, drug trafficking, and even terrorism. Venezuela is now the epicenter of instability and social decay, which could become a contagious disease across Latin America.”

Similarly, in 2019, María Corina Machado framed the presence of Venezuelans in other countries as a risk factor: “For our neighbors, the increase in migration does not just mean an unmanageable demand for basic services but also the risk of uncontrolled diseases and the infiltration of regime agents into ‘social movements’ seeking to provoke destabilization.”

This strategy has effectively captured Washington’s attention while legitimizing policies of persecution and repression against those who have emigrated.

The construction and perpetuation of this narrative have justified restrictive migration measures and contributed to discrimination and abuse against Venezuelans across the region.

Beyond political exploitation, the management of resources allocated to displaced populations has been marked by opacity and corruption. In his role as OAS commissioner for Venezuelan migrants and refugees, David Smolansky oversaw millions in funds without transparent accountability mechanisms, even as allegations of misused “humanitarian aid” multiplied.

As a result, thousands of Venezuelans have been left abandoned, exposed to precarious conditions, discrimination, and violence.

It is worth noting that the Trump administration’s agenda on this issue did not emerge in a vacuum. During his campaign, Trump already outlined his approach to Venezuelan migration. An Axios analysis of 109 Trump speeches, debates, and interviews between September 1, 2023, and October 2, 2024, reveals that he labeled Venezuelan migrants as “criminals” 70 times compared to just 29 mentions for Congolese migrants.

This quantification reflects how the [Venezuelan far-right opposition] anti-Venezuelan narrative was absorbed into Washington’s political machinery, though it did not originate there. It was fueled by figures like Machado and Borges, whose systematic rhetoric painted migration as a threat to the US.

This episode is, ultimately, the most polished product of their political activism against the Venezuelan people. Without their persistent criminalization campaign, Trump would hardly have pushed his migration policies to such extremes.

The testimony of time
The degrading treatment of Venezuelans was laid bare on March 15, when the US deported 261 men to El Salvador. Of these, 238 Venezuelans were sent directly to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a maximum-security prison whose brutality has been condemned internationally. This measure, beyond exposing them to inhumane conditions, highlights the lack of safeguards and the degrading treatment faced by Venezuelan migrants under repressive deportation policies.

This is not an isolated incident but the culmination of a narrative constructed to fit the White House’s favorite category: “threat.” A malleable concept, always available to justify whatever is needed to advance imperialist agendas.

On March 21, 2025, Time magazine published a report by journalist Philip Holsinger on the forced arrival of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador, deported from the US under unsubstantiated accusations of ties to the Aragua Train (TDA).

The article explains how three planes landed with 261 deportees, mostly Venezuelans labeled as TDA members by the Trump administration, was sent to El Salvador without due legal process.

Upon arrival, they encountered a massive military deployment and a reception marked by violent, intimidating treatment: “There was no blood, but the violence had rhythm, like a theater of terror,” the journalist wrote.

The photographer present at the operation described the brutality they faced. From disembarkation, they were subjected to beatings, shoves, and humiliations by guards.

One detainee, identified as a barber, tried to explain he had no ties to organized crime, but his pleas were ignored and met with aggression.

The report also highlights the psychological toll of the process: within hours, the deportees went from wearing brand-name clothes to being shaved, stripped of belongings, and confined to cells under extreme conditions. “With my camera in hand, it was like watching them turn into ghosts,” Holsinger added.

The article notes that prisoners are locked in cells holding up to 80 people and denied visits, books, or contact with the outside world under an isolation regime that renders them forgotten figures.

Furthermore, the article reveals that this mass transfer is part of a US–El Salvador agreement in which Nayib Bukele’s government receives US $6 million to detain migrants without trial for one year—equivalent to roughly US $23,000 per detainee.

The magazine paints a stark and brutal picture of incarceration policies in the Central American nation. Overall, the piece emphasizes the violence, fear, and despair of Venezuelans, with the operation exemplifying the political weaponization of migration for specific aims.

This reflects the Venezuelan far-right opposition’s double standard: promoting sanctions and blockades that deepen the migration crisis while staying silent about abuses against their compatriots in the US.

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Moreover, they have instrumentalized this situation to strengthen their influence in Washington and justify increased pressure against Venezuela.

This agenda culminated in one of the gravest episodes—the detention of individuals at CECOT, representing the most critical point in the persecution of Venezuelans abroad.

Far from condemning this human rights violation, María Corina Machado legitimized the measure, framing it as part of a strategy coordinated with the US: “I believe this is a very powerful proposal jointly put forward by the president of El Salvador and the [US] secretary of state.”

While the extremist opposition continues using migration as a bargaining chip with Washington, the Venezuelan government has implemented repatriation and reintegration initiatives to counter this crisis.

Ultimately, the criminalization narrative remains a crucial element in the political agenda of those seeking to promote foreign intervention in Venezuela.

 

 

(Misión Verdad)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

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