The U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro regime has agreed to accept deported Venezuelan immigrants.

The decision has sparked widespread concern and condemnation from Venezuelan communities in the United States, particularly in South Florida, where many have sought refuge from the authoritarian rule of Maduro.

The announcement came after a meeting in Caracas between Maduro and Trump’s envoy, Richard Grenell. While the deal includes the release of six American prisoners from Venezuelan custody, the details of what was exchanged for the deportation agreement remain unclear. Critics worry that this agreement will put vulnerable Venezuelans—many of whom entered the U.S. legally with parole or asylum claims—at serious risk if forced to return to a country plagued by political persecution and economic collapse.

The deal is alarming for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who have built lives in the U.S. under programs like Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and humanitarian parole. Advocacy groups fear that many law-abiding migrants could be lumped in with criminals and forcibly deported.

While Trump’s decision to pressure Venezuela into accepting deportees aligns with his broader hardline immigration stance, many in the Venezuelan opposition feel abandoned. Critics argue that Trump’s silence on Venezuela’s fraudulent elections and failure to acknowledge opposition leader Edmundo González show a shift in priorities—one that could undermine democracy efforts in Venezuela. The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown extends beyond Venezuelans.

Since returning to office, Trump has ended the humanitarian parole program that allowed 500,000 migrants from Venezuela, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Cuba to enter the U.S. He declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border to justify aggressive deportation measures. He also promised mass deportations, despite logistical challenges and human rights concerns.

Despite Trump’s claim that countries are agreeing to take back their nationals, immigration experts question whether Venezuela is capable of handling a massive influx of deportees. Previous deportation flights to Venezuela had been suspended for over a year due to diplomatic tensions and safety concerns.

For now, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans wait anxiously to see whether Temporary Protected Status (TPS) extensions will be renewed. If the Trump administration moves forward with mass deportations, it could forcibly separate families, endanger lives, and send people back to a country still in deep crisis. (ILKHA)