Venezuela will face “severe, and escalating sanctions” if it refuses to accept its citizens who have been deported from the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday.
The tough warning comes as the Trump administration seeks to ramp up deportations of Venezuelans living illegally in the U.S. and to need a temporary residency program for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, which could pave the way for them to lose their legal status.
‘WEAPONIZED MIGRATION’: US FACES DEADLY CONSEQUENCES WITH MADURO IN POWER, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION WARNS
The video depicts suspected members of Tren de Aragua and MS-13. (@nayibbukele via X)
Many of those with protected status migrated to the U.S. amid Venezuela’s economic collapse under the authoritarian rule of President Nicolas Maduro.
“Venezuela is obligated to accept its repatriated citizens from the U.S. This is not an issue for debate or negotiation,” Rubio wrote on X. “Nor does it merit any reward. Unless the Maduro regime accepts a consistent flow of deportation flights, without further excuses or delays, the U.S. will impose new, severe, and escalating sanctions.”
The threat came days after Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump’s special envoy tasked with securing the release of six U.S. citizens imprisoned in Venezuela, said the Maduro government had agreed to accept repatriation flights.
Maduro agreed to accept his citizens after initially refusing to do so.
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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (left) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (right). Rubio threatened new sanctions on Venezuela if it doesn’t accept its citizens. (Getty Images / Fox News Digital)
In February, Trump ended a permit to export oil to allow Chevron to export oil from Venezuela to the U.S. In doing so, Trump noted that Maduro’s government had not met benchmarks to promote free and fair elections.
The Trump administration is fighting to deport Venezuelan gang members back to their country….
