U.S. Resumes Repatriation Flights to Venezuela After June 24 Earthquakes

The return of 132 men and 15 women on flight number 165 signals a tentative resumption of migration agreements between Washington and Caracas. Because the Simón Bolívar International Airport in La Guaira remains largely incapacitated, the government’s Gran Misión Vuelta a la Patria program diverted the aircraft to Barcelona, the capital of Anzoátegui state, where other airlines have shifted operations.

The June 24 Tragedy at Simón Bolívar Airport

The current pause in flights was precipitated by a catastrophic double earthquake on June 24, which left the La Guaira region devastated. The damage to the country’s main aviation hub was so severe that the airport remained closed to most traffic for weeks.

The human cost of this disaster extended to a previous U.S. deportation flight, number 164, which landed from Miami just hours before the quakes struck. That flight carried 146 Venezuelans, including seven children. According to reporting from msn.com, more than 100 of those deportees are feared dead after the government-run hotel used for medical screenings and ID processing collapsed.

The aftermath of that collapse has been marked by desperation and administrative chaos. While Venezuela’s repatriation agency provided one family with a list of 32 survivors, most of the passengers are believed to have perished. Relatives have raised questions regarding why the deportees were placed in that specific facility and why the government withheld phones and documents, a move that critics say crippled identification and search efforts.

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Recovery Efforts and the Role of Delcy Rodríguez

As the acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez has focused on the restoration of national infrastructure to stabilize the country’s connectivity. She recently announced an international alliance to recover the Simón Bolívar airport, though she did not specify which partners are involved in the effort.

The recovery is proceeding in stages. The Venezuelan government announced that cargo aviation operations will reactivate on August 5. Commercial flights are expected to resume shortly thereafter via a parallel runway, though a specific date for that restart has not been set.

Political Instability and the 2026 Deportation Timeline

The resumption of these flights occurs against a backdrop of extreme political volatility following the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, during a U.S. military strike on Caracas on January 3, 2026. That operation resulted in at least 100 deaths, including 20 Venezuelan soldiers and 32 Cuban security personnel.

Despite the regime change and military action, the repatriation framework has persisted. The Gran Misión Vuelta a la Patria, originally created by Maduro, continues to facilitate the return of citizens.

• January 19, 2026: Flight number 100 arrived from Arizona with 235 deportees (219 men and 16 women).
• Late January 2026: A separate aircraft from Arizona landed with 199 migrants (181 men and 18 women).

The consistency of these flights is notable given the friction between the two nations. For instance, in mid-December 2025, Caracas denounced the unilateral suspension of a flight by the United States. Simultaneously, other regional players have shifted their approach; Panama, which previously sent Venezuelans to Colombia due to suspended relations with the Maduro government, is now preparing to send a direct flight to Caracas.

Operational Discrepancies in Disaster Response

While the government highlights the “milestone” of these repatriation flights, the ground reality in La Guaira has been described as inept. Reports from NPR and The New York Times indicate that rescue efforts following the June quakes were hindered by the Venezuelan military and police, who demanded government permits from doctors and rescue workers while the search for survivors grew increasingly desperate.

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This creates a stark contrast: the government of Delcy Rodríguez continues to celebrate the logistical success of the repatriation program while facing intense criticism for its failure to protect and account for the very people it repatriated during the June disaster.

The immediate focus now shifts to August 5, as the government attempts to restart cargo operations at the nation’s primary gateway, a critical step in determining if the country can handle the return of more deportees without relying on diverted flights to cities like Barcelona.