Venezuelan migrants exiting a repatriation flight on January 23, 2026, showing the happiness and relief in their faces. Photo: IG/@minjusticia_ve.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—This week Venezuela has received three new groups of repatriated nationals from the US under the Return to the Homeland Plan, signaling a sharp increase in returns following the resumption of migrant repatriation flights this year. The flights, which landed at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, La Guaira state, come as the nation continues to navigate the aftermath of the January 3 US military intervention.
Recent flight data and statistics
Since the start of 2026, four flights have arrived in Venezuela from the US, bringing 799 citizens back home. These arrivals, added to the 18,971 repatriations carried out by the end of 2025, bring the total figure to 19,770 repatriated migrants who have escaped wrongful detentions and racist persecution in the US.
The latest flights via the US-based airline Eastern were:
• Flight no. 100: Arrived on Monday, January 19. The flight brought 235 Venezuelans, including 16 women and 219 men.
• Flight no. 101: Arrived from Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday, January 22, repatriating 183 citizens, of them 32 women and 151 men.
• Flight no. 102: Returned 182 Venezuelans from the US on Friday, January 23, including 23 women, 149 men, and 10 children.
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These arrivals follow Flight 99, which landed on January 16 with 199 Venezuelans, marking the first repatriation of the year. The resumption of these flights occurs in the wake of the January 3 attack perpetrated by the US regime against Venezuela, which included the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.
While a mutually agreed-upon program has been in place since early 2025, the Trump administration unilaterally suspended the agreement in mid-December 2025. The final flight of that year, Flight 98, arrived on December 10 with 218 passengers.
Origins of the migration crisis and Venezuelan repatriation efforts
The mass migration of Venezuelans began after they were impacted by the profound economic crisis between 2015 and 2020, resulting directly from illegal US sanctions. This was followed by a sustained smear campaign and outbreaks of xenophobic violence in the US, which often included false allegations of criminality against migrants. Subsequently, the US government initiated mass detentions and deportations, frequently involving individuals who had no criminal records and were awaiting the resolution of immigration cases.
Every Venezuelan migrant returning under the Return to the Homeland Plan is received with established protocols that include immediate medical care, psychological support, and legal and socioeconomic guidance to assist their reintegration into the Venezuelan society. Since its inception in 2018, the program has provided a safe and dignified return for Venezuelans who have faced exploitation and xenophobia while living abroad.
US resumes extrajudicial killings
Meanwhile, the US Southern Command reported Friday that it carried out a new extrajudicial execution against a small boat in the eastern Pacific, following orders from US War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The operation resulted in the deaths of two unidentified civilians, whom the US regime immediately labeled “narco-terrorists.” No public evidence has been presented to support such a designation. A third occupant of the boat survived the bombing. According to the official statement, the Coast Guard was asked to activate search protocols, though various analysts question the veracity of these rescue efforts following the fate of recent survivors.
This incident marks the 36th extrajudicial execution in the region since September 2 of last year. To date, according to Orinoco Tribune statistics, 122 civilians have been assassinated: 48 in the Caribbean Sea and 74 in the eastern Pacific.
Venezuela Receives 199 Migrants on First Repatriation Flight Since Trump’s December Suspension
Analysts explain that despite the US use of the narco-terrorism narrative to justify its aggression against Venezuela, 61% of the killings occured in the Pacific Ocean, with which Venezuela has no geographical proximity. Meanwhile, the remaining 48 victims in the Caribbean may include nationals of Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic, thus diluting Venezuela’s alleged responsibility in international narco-trafficking networks.
Between December 31 and January 23, no US extrajudicial killings were reported. This temporary cessation of hostilities coincided with the international outcry generated in the aftermath of January 3, when US forces attacked Venezuela to kidnap President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in flagrant violation of national sovereignty and international law.
The international community is watching with growing concern as Washington uses the label of “confirmed intelligence” to act as judge and executioner on the high seas. US ruler Donald Trump has also threatened Mexico and Colombia with land strikes under this same narrative.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/SC
