On February 21st, it was reported that on February 20th, the United States repatriated 177 migrants from its military base in Guantanamo, Cuba, to Venezuela. This is the latest sign of cooperation between the two governments that have had a long - standing strained relationship.
Officials from Washington and Caracas confirmed that a plane left the US base and took 177 people to Honduras, where they were picked up by the Venezuelan government.
The report said that such a well - orchestrated operation seemed impossible just a few weeks ago when the US was accusing Venezuelan President Maduro of stealing election results.
However, since the inauguration of the US President Trump, relations between the two countries have eased, and the White House has prioritized immigration cooperation.
Trump's special envoy, Richard Grenell, went to Caracas to meet with Maduro on January 31st. Grenell negotiated the release of six American prisoners. One day later, Trump announced that Venezuela had agreed to accept illegal immigrants deported from the US.
Venezuela stated that it had "requested the repatriation of a group of compatriots who were unjustly taken to the Guantanamo Naval Base".
The government said in a statement: "This request has been accepted, and these citizens have been transferred to Honduras, from where they will be brought back."
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that they had "transported 177 illegal Venezuelan immigrants from Guantanamo Bay to Honduras to be picked up by the Venezuelan government".