Chile Expels Venezuelans to Caracas

A plane bound for Caracas took off from Santiago to transport 65 Venezuelans expelled, most of them for committing crimes, after an agreement with the government of Nicolás Maduro after weeks of bilateral tensions, Chilean authorities reported.

"It is the first flight rented by the Chilean government that we managed to carry out during 2024 to Venezuela and therefore, we are translating the diplomatic dialogue with Caracas into concrete facts," the vice minister told the press of the Interior Manuel Monsalve.

In this way, the expulsion flights of Venezuelan citizens were resumed after weeks of tension between Santiago and Caracas due to statements by the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Yván Gil, in which he denied the existence of the international criminal gang Tren de Aragua.

The conversations and police collaboration agreements reached this year between the government of the Chilean president, the leftist Gabriel Boric, and that of his Venezuelan counterpart Maduro have been harshly criticized by the right-wing opposition in Chile.

On the flight rented by the government, 55 Venezuelans expelled for having committed crimes such as robbery with violence, drug trafficking, kidnapping or illegal carrying of weapons traveled.

The 10 remaining citizens who made up the flight were expelled for having entered Chile irregularly.

Each of these people traveled accompanied by a Chilean police officer.

Counting these 65 expelled Venezuelans, so far this year Chile has transported 146 citizens of that country to Caracas, most of them on regular commercial flights.

The director of Immigration of Chile, Luis Eduardo Thayer, explained that with this there are now 12 flights rented in recent years to take expelled citizens of that country to Venezuela.

Chile has recorded an increase in crime in recent years and has detected the presence of international gangs, including the Tren de Aragua.