Deportation Flights to Venezuela to Begin Within Next 30 Days, Trump Border Czar Says
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The assertion by Tom Homan, President Trump’s border czar, could herald a shift in the relationship between the United States and Venezuela’s autocrat, Nicolás Maduro.
President Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, made plainly clear how a Latin American nation — considered a U.S. adversary — will help the president deliver on a promise that carried him to the White House.
Mr. Homan expected flights carrying Venezuelan migrants in the United States back to Venezuela to begin “within the next 30 days,” he said in an interview with The New York Times.
It was the first indication of a timeline for the plan to send people back to Venezuela after Mr. Trump’s announcement that his government had struck a deal with the country’s autocratic leader, Nicolás Maduro.
Last week, the Trump administration said that it had secured the freedom of six Americans in Venezuelan custody and convinced Mr. Maduro to receive deportation flights that would carry “all Venezuela illegal aliens” living in the United States.
In return, Mr. Maduro, who is accused of stealing a recent election and committing major human rights violations, received a very public visit from a top Trump adviser, Richard Grenell.
The two shook hands, smiling, as Venezuela’s top legislator, Jorge Rodríguez, beamed in the background. Later, Mr. Maduro’s government released an announcement affirming its commitment to “dialogue among equals.”