CARACAS: A group of 199 Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States arrived on Monday after the two countries reached an agreement to restart flights, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said. A diplomatic spat last week inflamed already tense relations as the United States accused Venezuela of refusing to accept deportations flights, while Caracas accused Washington of blocking them. As that unfolded, a plane-load of deported Venezuelans had arrived from Mexico, a country that has agreed to accept migrants from other countries sent by the United States.
Cabello said flights have been inconsistent "not because of Venezuela," adding that they will "depend on the United States." The United States sent the deportees first to Honduras, where they were picked up by Venezuelan state airline Conviasa and arrived in Caracas. The United States does not deport migrants directly to Venezuela due to the strained diplomatic relationship between the two countries. "We expect to see a consistent flow of deportation flights to Venezuela going forward," the US State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said. — Reuters
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