Caracas and Washington offered conflicting accounts on whether the U.S. suspended deportation flights to Venezuela scheduled for December 12. Venezuela's National Aviation Authority said it was informed of a unilateral U.S. suspension and reiterated its willingness to receive returning citizens. A U.S. administration official told CNN the claim was false and that deportation flights would continue, leaving the flights' immediate status unclear.
Venezuela Says U.S. Suspended December 12 Deportation Flights — Washington Denies Claim
An Eastern Airlines plane carrying Venezuelan migrants repatriated from the US lands at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, on December 3, 2025. - JUAN BARRETO/AFP/AFP via Getty Images
Caracas and Washington issued conflicting accounts Friday over whether the United States had suspended deportation flights to Venezuela that were scheduled to land on December 12.
Venezuela's National Aviation Authority said on Thursday it had been notified of a U.S. decision to "unilaterally suspend the return of Venezuelan citizens who were scheduled to return on December 12." The authority reiterated Venezuela's willingness to receive its nationals and called the reported suspension disruptive to a process it described as "coordinated" and intended to ease the situation of Venezuelan nationals detained in the United States.
“The suspension interrupts a process that had been carried out in a coordinated manner and represented a way to alleviate the situation of Venezuelan nationals detained and persecuted on U.S. soil,” the authority said.
But a U.S. administration official told CNN on Friday: "There is no truth to this. Deportation flights to Venezuela will continue." The official’s statement directly contradicted Caracas and left the immediate status of the scheduled flights unclear.
What Remains Unclear
Both sides have presented opposing versions of events. Venezuela framed the transfers as a coordinated repatriation mechanism to reduce the burden of detained nationals, while U.S. officials denied any suspension. At the time of reporting, independent confirmation of the scheduled flights' status was not available.
Reporters Sol Amaya and Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.
