Conviasa passenger jet. File photo.
This Monday, February 10, the Venezuelan government announced that two planes belonging to the state airline Conviasa departed from the Biggs Army Airfield in Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, United States, on their way back to Venezuela. The planes are returning to Venezuela as part of the “Return to the Homeland” program, designed to repatriate Venezuelan migrants affected by economic sanctions and “psychological warfare campaigns” against the country. The initiative, which seeks to guarantee the human rights of those repatriated, also calls for bilateral US-Venezuela relations based on respect and cooperation in security.
According to an official statement from the Ministry for Communication and Information, the “Return to the Homeland” plan was created to help Venezuelans who migrated “due to the economic sanctions” imposed on Venezuela. President Nicolás Maduro’s government reported that the Conviasa flights were coordinated with President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Richard Grenell, assuring that the transfer would be carried out “with absolute respect for the dignity and human rights” of the migrants.
“It is our government’s irrevocable position to address the condition of our migrants and their prerogatives enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” the statement reads.
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Although the Venezuelan government claimed that most of those repatriated are “decent and hard-working people,” it acknowledged that US authorities have reported that some could be “allegedly linked to criminal activities,” including the criminal group “Tren de Aragua.” Venezuela assured that these individuals will be subjected to a “rigorous investigation” upon arrival in the country and face legal action.
In the statement, Caracas rejected the “false and malicious narrative” about the “Aragua Train,” attributing it to a media strategy and representatives of Joe Biden’s government’s intent to “penalize all Venezuelan migrants and stigmatize our country.” It reiterates that the gang was “defeated” in Venezuelan territory and accused opposition sectors of recruiting them to “sow anxiety and violence.”
Venezuela reiterated its proposal for an “Agenda Zero” to resume negotiations with the US government based on respect for self-determination and direct cooperation in justice and security. Maduro’s government urged the fight against organized crime and the “masterminds and financiers” of migrant trafficking networks that “defrauded thousands of compatriots by taking them to the US, charging them large sums.”
“Venezuela reaffirms, within the framework of our Bolivarian diplomacy of peace, its willingness to maintain direct relations of communication, respect, and understanding,” the statement concluded.
Below is the full unofficial translation of the statement:
The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela reports to its people and the world that, at this moment, two planes belonging to our airline CONVIASA are heading towards Venezuelan soil. They were sent to the United States of America within the framework of the Return to the Homeland program to transport Venezuelan migrant compatriots who were in the United States back to our territory.
The Return to the Homeland plan was designed by the Bolivarian government of Venezuela to repatriate, from different places in the world, thousands of compatriots who migrated due to economic sanctions and psychological warfare campaigns against our country.
In the discussions held between the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Government of the United States of America, through President Trump’s special envoy, Ambassador Richard Grenell, Venezuela always made it clear that any transfer of Venezuelans must be done with absolute respect for their dignity and human rights. Consequently, we proposed that we would make Venezuelan aircraft available to search for and transfer the migrants who are now returning to their homeland.
It is the irrevocable position of our government to address the condition of our migrants and their prerogatives enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Bolivarian government also reports that the government of the United States of America has notified us that some of the people who are returning are allegedly linked to criminal activities or are allegedly involved in the criminal actions of the so-called “Aragua Train.” As is public and accepted by all, our institutions fought and defeated this criminal gang in Venezuelan territory.
As shown by irrefutable evidence presented by the Venezuelan justice system, these criminal groups had been recruited and activated by extremist sectors of the opposition to sow anxiety and violence in our country and facilitated the escape of the leaders of these groups to other countries, including the United States.
After many efforts, Venezuela is one of the safest places on our continent today, and we will keep it that way.
As appropriate, the aforementioned individuals will be subject to a rigorous investigation as soon as they touch Venezuelan soil and will be subject to the actions provided for in our justice system.
Venezuela confirms what was discussed with Special Envoy Grenell, that there is a false and malicious narrative surrounding the issue of the so-called “Aragua Train,” sown by the media and representatives of the Biden Administration, to penalize all Venezuelan migrants and stigmatize our country. Quite the opposite of that narrative, the majority of migrants are decent and hard-working people.
The government of President Nicolás Maduro Moros reiterates what was proposed, within the framework of Agenda Zero for a new beginning of relations between both countries based on respect and safeguarding our self-determination, to establish mechanisms of direct cooperation in the police and justice spheres to combat organized crime and the masterminds and financiers of the network of coyotes who have harmed and defrauded thousands of our compatriots by taking them to the United States and other countries, charging them large sums of money.
Venezuela confirms, within the framework of our Bolivarian diplomacy of peace, its willingness to maintain direct relations of communication, respect and understanding between the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the government of the United States of America.
Caracas, February 10, 2025
Ministry of People’s Power for Communication and Information
(Telesur) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SF
