MARACAY, Venezuela — After months of travel through jungles, seas and across multiple borders, Venezuelan migrants Mariela Gómez, her partner Abraham Castro and their two children decided to abandon their attempt to reach the United States and returned home to Maracay to spend Christmas.
This photo gallery, curated by AP photo editors, follows the family as they reunite with relatives and reflect the human side of a wider migration shift in the region. Their decision to turn back has occurred amid an increase in U.S. immigration enforcement and growing diplomatic pressure on the government of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
A Personal Story Within a Larger Trend
The family's journey — which involved weeks on difficult routes and exposed them to the hazards faced by many migrants — illustrates a pattern of reverse migration: people who set out for the United States but ultimately return home. Photographs capture quiet moments of relief, the challenges of the trip, and the emotional reunion of family members during the holiday season.
Note: This gallery aims to document the lived experiences of migrants and the evolving migration dynamics in Latin America, without taking a political stance.
Mariela Gómez, right, and her partner Abraham Castro, a Venezuelan migrant couple, sit for Christmas dinner at Castro's parents' home in Maracay, Venezuela, early Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. The couple abandoned their journey to the United States and returned home from Mexico by land and sea following President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
FILE - Venezuelan Mariela Gomez holds her son Mathias as they make their way to shore after arriving on a larger cargo vessel in Jaque, on Panama's Pacific coast, Sept. 18, 2025, during their journey south after giving up on reaching the United States. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mariela Gómez, right, and her partner Abraham Castro, a Venezuelan migrant couple who abandoned their journey to the United States and returned home following the immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump, kiss during Christmas dinner in Maracay, Venezuela, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mariela Gómez, her partner Abraham Castro, and her son Mathias, a Venezuelan migrant family who abandoned their journey to the United States and returned home following President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, buy groceries for Christmas dinner in Maracay, Venezuela, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
FILE - Venezuelan migrants depart Jaque on Panama's Pacific coast en route to Jurado, Colombia, as they return home after failing to enter the United States, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Abraham Castro helps fix the taxi taking him and his partner, Mariela Gómez, to his parents' home for Christmas dinner in Maracay, Venezuela, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. The Venezuelan migrant couple abandoned their journey to the United States and returned home from Mexico by land and sea following the immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mariela Gómez, a Venezuelan migrant who gave up her journey with her children to the United States following the immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump, chooses what to wear for a family Christmas dinner in Maracay, Venezuela, Friday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Christmas dinner is served at the home of Abraham Castro's parents in Maracay, Venezuela, early Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. Castro and his partner Mariela Gómez, a Venezuelan migrant couple who abandoned their journey to the United States following thPresident Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, are spending the holiday there after returning home. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mariela Gómez, a Venezuelan migrant who abandoned her journey with her children to the United States to return home following President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, has her hair dyed for Christmas dinner in Maracay, Venezuela, Friday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Abraham Castro, a Venezuelan migrant who abandoned the journey with his partner and children to the United States following President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, dances with a drink in hand during Christmas celebrations in Maracay, Venezuela, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mariela Gómez, a Venezuelan migrant who abandoned her journey with her children to the United States following President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, chats with a relative while cooking Christmas dinner in Maracay, Venezuela, Friday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
FILE - Venezuelan Abraham Castro rides a cargo vessel with other Venezuelan migrants through the Gulf of Panama as he, his partner and her two sons travel south after giving up on reaching the United States, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Abraham Castro and his partner's son Mathias pet the family dog ahead of Christmas Eve celebrations in Maracay, Venezuela, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2025. The Venezuelan migrant family adopted the dog as a puppy in Mexico before abandoning their journey to the United States and returning home following President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
