Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem discusses the efforts to enhance security measures on the southern border, particularly focusing on deporting individuals with criminal backgrounds who unlawfully entered the country. Noem highlights the targeting of the most dangerous offenders during an appearance on ‘Hannity.’
Meanwhile, nearly 200 Venezuelan nationals, who were held as illegal immigrants at Guantánamo Bay, have been repatriated to their home country following arrangements with the Venezuelan government. The individuals were flown back to Venezuela in a series of flights facilitated by the cooperation between the two nations.
The 177 Venezuelans were aboard a U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement flight that had a stopover in Honduras before landing in Caracas.
Images show a group of men wearing gray sweatsuit outfits lined up on a tarmac waiting to board a plane.
Accompanying the article is an image showing Venezuelan migrants returning to Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, Venezuela, captured on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in an image credited to AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez.
“Venezuela had historically resisted accepting repatriation of its citizens but has recently begun accepting removals following high-level political discussions and an investment of significant resources,” federal immigration and military officials wrote in a court document filed Thursday.
The U.S. government has alleged that Venezuelan immigrants transferred to the naval base are members of the Tren de Aragua gang. Trump has turned the gang into the face of the alleged threat posed by immigrants living in the country illegally.
He formally designated the gang a “foreign terrorist organization” this week.
Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States arrive at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
On Thursday, the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said the country “will always fight terrorism and criminal organizations of any kind, while denouncing the manipulation of these elements for political ends and rejecting any attempt to criminalize the nation and its citizens.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
