Venezuela Affirms National Interest After Alex Saab Deportation
Delcy Rodríguez stated that the primary and main interest of the government is Venezuela, its rights and the protection of the homeland. Photo: Venezuelan Presidential Press.
May 18, 2026 Hour: 8:14 pm
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Acting President Delcy Rodríguez states this Monday that the deportation was an administrative measure taken in national interest, to ensure country’s tranquility and development.
Venezuela reported on May 16 the deportation of citizen Alex Naim Saab Morán, claiming that the process responds to the fact that Saab is “engaged in the commission of various crimes in the United States of America“, according to the official statement.
RELATED: Venezuela Deports Colombian National Alex Saab
While inaugurating 23 socio-productive spaces on May 18 to strengthen communal development and the economy, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez affirmed that her country is defending its national interests following the deportation of Alex Saab.
Delcy Rodríguez characterized the issue as a matter strictly “between the United States and the individual Saab“. This declaration underscores the Government’s stance on the high-profile case, emphasizing its sovereign right to make decisions based on the welfare and stability of the South American nation.
“There is no other consideration. Alex Saab is a citizen of Colombian origin, he performed functions in Venezuela, and these are matters between the United States of America and Alex Saab”, she stated.
Following this, Acting President Rodríguez, explicitly described the deportation as “an administrative measure (…) justified in national interests, seeking to defend Venezuela and guarantee the tranquility and development of the country.”
Addressing the same issue, the Secretary General of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Diosdado Cabello, offered further details during the party’s regular press conference.
Cabello unequivocally stated that Alex Saab possessed an identification document that was not legal and that there was no record of it in the national agency responsible for issuing such documents.
“Alex Saab is not Venezuelan. He is a citizen of Colombian origin. He always presented a Venezuelan identification card that was not legal. It has no basis whatsoever within the Administrative Service of Identification, Migration and Foreigners (Saime), which is the entity that grants Venezuelan identity cards (…) There is no document to support that he is Venezuelan”, he declared.
Cabello, who also serves as the Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace, specified that the identification card presented by Alex Saab had an “issue date of the document from 2004.”
“He presented himself with a fraudulent identification and with that, he had access to some things. When a detailed investigation was carried out: there is no record in the Administrative Service for Identification, Migration and Foreigner (Saime) that certifies that this person is Venezuelan. That is why we made the decision to deport him from Venezuela”, he explained.
Cabello further emphasized that the “decision of the Venezuelan State is strictly adhering to the law”, reinforcing Delcy’s Rodriguez earlier statement.
In this sense, he also made reference to Article 271 of the Bolivarian Constitution, which declares that “in no case may be refused the extradition of foreigners responsible for crimes of money laundering, drugs, international organized crime, acts against the public patrimony of other states and against Human Rights be denied.”
This constitutional reference served to underscore the legal framework underpinning the Venezuelan Government’s actions and its commitment to international legal standards, particularly concerning serious transnational crimes.
Author: Laura V. Mor
Source: Venezuelan Presidential Press
