Venezuelan nationals returning from Peru at the Maiquetía International Airport in La Guaira, Venezuela. Photo: Twitter/@RanderPena.
On Thursday, November 10, 209 Venezuelans returned home from Peru through the Venezuelan government’s Vuelta a la Patria (Return to the Homeland) Program.
The Venezuelan nationals landed at the Maiquetía International Airport in La Guaira state, in a flight chartered by the Venezuelan national airline Conviasa.
The information was released by Venezuelan Minister of Transport Ramón Velásquez Araguayán.
More and More Migrants Are Returning to Venezuela (+ Vuelta a la Patria)
“The Vuelta a la Patria plan is a humanist measure of President Nicolás Maduro to facilitate the return of Venezuelans to the country, as well as encouraging family reunions during the Christmas season. Today, a Conviasa flight arrived with 209 Venezuelan nationals from Peru,” the minister tweeted.
The message was accompanied by a video showing the arrival of the Venezuelans and the happy reunions with their families.
#10Nov El plan vuelta a la patria es una medida humanista del presidente @NicolasMaduro para facilitar el retorno de venezolanos al país así como el reencuentro familiar durante la época decembrina. Hoy arribó un vuelo de Conviasa con 209 connacionales provenientes de Perú pic.twitter.com/91qGRO2Bko
— Ramón Celestino Velásquez Araguayán (@rvaraguayan) November 10, 2022
More than 60 children and a dozen adolescents were among the Venezuelan nationals repatriated through this flight, according to a press release issued by the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. To date, 8,991 Venezuelans have been repatriated from Peru through the Vuelta a la Patria program.
The Deputy Minister for Latin America and the Caribbean, Rander Peña Ramírez, greeted the returning Venezuelans at the airport.
“We are at the Maiquetía International Airport, receiving 209 Venezuelans who have willingly returned, to be reunited with their homeland, with their families, and with their friends. We are here to give them the embrace they missed so much during their time away,” Peña said.
Vuelta a la Patria saves lives
“The Vuelta a la Patria Plan not only attends to the will of Venezuelan people who express their desire to return, it also saves lives,” Peña Ramírez added, referring to the history of unfortunate cases of “white slavery,” and the situation of Venezuelan nationals in other countries who have been subject to xenophobia, exclusion, and other aggressions.
“Today, the 209 Venezuelans coming from Peru will be able to embrace their loved ones thanks to President Maduro, who brought them back home through the Vuelta a la Patria Plan,” Deputy Minister Peña added. “Together, we are now going to build the country we want and dream of. They have made the best decision!”
Hoy 209 Venezolanos(as) provenientes del Perú, podrán abrazar a sus seres queridos gracias al Pdte @NicolasMaduro que los trajo de regreso a casa a través del #PlanVueltaALaPatria. Vamos ahora a construir juntos el país que queremos y soñamos. ¡Han tomado la mejor decisión! pic.twitter.com/5j3MNRJyz9
— Rander Peña Ramírez (@RanderPena) November 10, 2022
The Vuelta a la Patria Plan has allowed thousands of Venezuelans in vulnerable situations without resources outside the country to return home.
Conviasa has reported that a significant number of people outside the country are still registered in Venezuelan embassies for the Vuelta a la Patria Plan. For this reason, the Venezuelan government will continue to carry out these flights, which to date have repatriated Venezuelans from 25 countries around the world.
Venezuelans migrating to other countries are subject to xenophobia, and the restrictions placed upon them have increased, which hinders their professional development and reduces their opportunities to access social and medical programs. The Venezuelan government will continue the Vuelta a la Patria program to support the needs of those people, as has been reiterated on several occasions by President Nicolás Maduro.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/KZ/SC
