Venezuelan Opposition Leader Bertucci Denied Entry to the US

Although he did not give details of the place where he was detained, journalist Vladimir Villegas explained that he remained in a waiting room inside the airport terminal.

"I was pointed out by one of the officials as a person who was collaborating with the government (of Nicolás Maduro), here we can notice how much evil has been done by this small and diminished group of the radical opposition that continues lying to the United States," he expressed.

RELATED:

Venezuela: Candidate Bertucci Slams 'Irresponsible' Call for Sanctions by Opposition Factions

According to what he stated in a video he published on his social networks, the reason for his trip is related to an invitation he received from several organizations "for the channeling of a high impact humanitarian aid program."

That said, Bertucci indicated that they were informal meetings and that he tried to enter the United States "not as a congressman but as a natural person who was going to hold unofficial meetings."

"They are non-governmental organizations not linked to the government that are interested in bringing or sending humanitarian aid to Venezuela that will allow us to alleviate this difficult crisis we are experiencing," he said.

Bertucci assured that he won the seat in the National Assembly with clean votes. "To me, the Government did not put me in this position, as opposition I can categorically say that I did not appoint myself lawmaker, I was elected as a parliamentarian in Carabobo, I did not stand in a square but was sworn in as a lawmaker," he said.

"They cannot continue acting in this selfish and irresponsible way for maintaining a position that only works on Twitter," he stated.

Bertucci stated that his documents are in order, including his visa which is valid until 2023.

The politician is a lawmaker for the Esperanza por el Cambio party in Venezuela's PSUV-majority National Assembly.