Venezuelan officials denounce the Trump administration’s “xenophobic” immigration measures after a 17-year-old girl is deported alone, separating her from her siblings in the U.S. The case highlights ongoing family separations and the impact of U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan migrants.

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Venezuela Receives New Group of Deported Migrants Amid Family Separation Concerns

A new wave of deportations from the United States to Venezuela has reignited international criticism, as Venezuelan authorities spotlight the traumatic case of a 17-year-old girl sent back to Caracas alone while her siblings were left behind in U.S. detention centers. Officials argue this is emblematic of the Trump administration’s “criminal and xenophobic” approach to immigration, which they say continues to fracture Venezuelan families and violate basic human rights.

On Friday, Venezuela’s Minister of the Interior, Justice and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, recounted the harrowing story during a reception for the latest “Return to the Homeland Plan” flight at Simón Bolívar International Airport. The girl, who had traveled with her parents, was detained and separated at the border. While her mother was deported on an earlier flight and her father sent to a separate facility, the teenager was held in an adult center and ultimately deported alone. Cabello denounced the U.S. for “continuing to separate and harm the Venezuelan family,” directly blaming far-right figures and U.S.-imposed sanctions for the suffering of migrant children.

Venezuelan Officials Denounce U.S. Policies as “Xenophobic“

Venezuelan authorities have consistently condemned the Trump administration’s immigration policies, describing them as “xenophobic and criminalizing.” Transport Minister Ramón Velásquez Araguayán greeted nearly 200 repatriated migrants on Thursday, emphasizing that many were victims of U.S. sanctions and anti-immigrant rhetoric. Officials stressed that the majority of returnees are ordinary Venezuelans, not criminals, and that the U.S. narrative about Venezuelan migrants is false. The government insists that these deportations are part of a broader campaign to destabilize Venezuelan society and punish families for political reasons.

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The text reads: On the afternoon of this Friday, a second flight of the Return to the Homeland Plan arrived in the country with another 183 Venezuelans who had been staying in the United States.

The migrants were received by the Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace, Diosdado Cabello Rondón (@dcabellor), who detailed that this group, corresponding to flight number 18 of the plan, is made up of 157 men and 26 women.

“There are no children on this flight; that is the imperial response to the demand that Venezuela and the world have made to return the girl Maykelys,” Cabello stated.

From Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, Cabello criticized the disorder maintained by Donald Trump’s administration in allowing the return of our compatriots.

Since 2018, Venezuela’s “Plan Vuelta a la Patria” has facilitated the voluntary return of over 1.2 million migrants, aiming to restore dignity and reunite families torn apart by U.S. policies and economic sanctions. Recent flights have brought back hundreds of Venezuelans from the U.S. and Mexico, with authorities vowing to provide humane treatment and reintegration support. Officials argue that U.S. actions, including the separation and detention of minors, constitute a form of “imperialism” that targets vulnerable families. They hold U.S.-backed opposition figures responsible for calling for sanctions and contributing to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

By centering the voices of repatriated families and Venezuelan officials, this case underscores the urgent need for a humane, rights-based approach to migration,one that prioritizes family unity and rejects punitive, politically motivated measures.

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