On February 20, the U.S. government, along with a Venezuelan state airline, transported 177 Venezuelan migrants from Guantanamo Bay to Honduras and then further to Venezuela, as reported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security.
Upon the migrants' arrival at an airport outside Caracas around 10 p.m. (0200 GMT), Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello greeted them. Cabello stated that all returnees would undergo health screenings, with any individuals facing pending criminal charges to be handed over to the appropriate authorities. Cabello described the repatriation effort as a result of negotiations.
Venezuela formally requested the return of its citizens "unjustly" relocated to the Guantanamo naval base, according to Foreign Minister Yvan Gil's statement on Telegram earlier that day.
The Honduran government confirmed that approximately 170 Venezuelan migrants were expected to arrive in Honduras from the U.S. before being promptly sent back to Venezuela.
The handover occurred at Soto Cano, a joint U.S.-Honduran military air base, with the migrants returning home via Venezuelan airline Conviasa.
Attorneys representing multiple deportees only became aware of the situation on Thursday afternoon.
The deportations transpired shortly after the American Civil Liberties Union demanded access for dozens of migrants sent to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, asserting their right to legal representation was being violated.
Among the deportees were 126 individuals with criminal backgrounds, 80 of whom purportedly had ties to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, as per a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, who further mentioned that 51 had no criminal records.
Following the deportations on Thursday, no migrant detainees remained at Guantanamo, the spokesperson confirmed. The U.S. administration, under President Donald Trump, has classified Tren de Aragua and other organized criminal factions as targets in intensified immigration enforcement against alleged gang affiliates within the United States.