Venezuelan repatriated migrants, previously detained in the Guantanamo military base, arriving in Venezuela on Thursday, February 20, 2025. Photo: Con el Mazo Dando.
Venezuelan Minister for Interior Diosdado Cabello explained that the first thing the repatriated migrants who arrived the day before felt upon touching Venezuelan soil was the respect for human rights—dignified, respectful, and even affectionate treatment by the Venezuelan authorities. He also clarified that only 38 of the returning migrants have criminal records, and none of them have traceable connections to the Aragua Train (Tren de Aragua) criminal gang.
During the podcast Sin Truco Ni Maña this Friday, February 21, which he hosts alongside Congresswoman Tania Díaz, Cabello referred to the group of 177 migrants who returned to Venezuela on Thursday night from the US military base in Guantánamo Bay. They had been detained in the military base for several weeks, with some having spent up to four years in migrant detention centers without having committed any crime.
“‘They took us out of hell’ is an expression that they generally use, as they were surrounded by uncertainty because they are young people who had been there [in detention] for three or four years without committing any crime, only for having moved to the United States… And they were sent to Guantanamo, a prison where human rights do not exist at all,” Cabello said.
Cabello emphasized that of all the repatriated compatriots, only 38 have police records, and only one has an Interpol red notice for committing a crime in Ecuador. “The majority are citizens who only committed the crime of going to the United States without documents,” he added.
“Interpol requests it, and he comes here. He is Venezuelan, and of course, being Venezuelan, he must be judged by the laws here in Venezuela. We are going to ask Ecuador to send the file it has against this person,” said Cabello on the case of the Interpol red notice.
On the other 38 cases of individuals with police records, Cabello explained that “it doesn’t mean that they are wanted. A police record is that you enter their data [in the system], and it appears ‘from the day this person filed a complaint; from the day this person five years ago, 10 years ago, was caught in a robbery; this person participated in a fight.”
He explained that after detailed background checks, each case will be referred to the Scientific, Criminal and Criminal Investigation Corps (CICPC), the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM), or the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN), depending on the case.
Minister Cabello added that none of these people have any connection with the Aragua Train. “They said they had sent those from the Aragua Train there [to Guantánamo]. I insist this is a vile narrative against our country, which is now being turned back on those who promoted that narrative. Why is it being turned back on them? Because now they are there cutting off tails and ears, grabbing anyone on the street and sending them there,” he said, as reported by Diario VEA.
Cabello specified that fingerprint readers were sent on the plane for identification purposes and background checks. “The person gets on the plane, scans their fingerprint, and the data is transferred to Caracas. Here, we already had the list of each one. Whoever has a record, it is here. This is not something improvised.”
Coyotes cashing out
Minister Cabello also reiterated the revelation that criminal organizations of “coyotes” linked to the Venezuelan far-right opposition are now offering migrants who wish to return “a ride on the plane” of the Plan Vuelta a la Patria in exchange for substantial payments.
“Now, they are telling people: ‘I can get you on a plane to return to Venezuela, but that will cost you this much.’ Now, they are offering this, making people believe they can control who returns or not. They don’t miss an opportunity. It’s incredible how shameless these people are,” he said.
In this regard, he added that the Plan Vuelta a la Patria (Return to the Homeland Program) is a program created by President Nicolás Maduro and organized by the Venezuelan government. Thus, these criminal groups led by fugitives from justice, such as Juan Guaidó, Leopoldo López, and David Smolansky, have no participation.
“There is no payment here. Venezuela is the one that is making all the arrangements and advancing the logistics so that they can return home through the Plan Vuelta a la Patria,” Cabello said, pointing out that the country has a reintegration program to receive these compatriots who return from abroad.
(Últimas Noticias) by Gustavo Rangel with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
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