US Sanctions Against Venezuela Over Deportations

Marco Rubio warns of US sanctions against Venezuela
Trump invokes controversial 1798 law
Venezuela denounces «kidnapping» of migrants

The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, issued a strong warning to Venezuela this Tuesday.

He threatened to impose «severe» sanctions if Nicolás Maduro’s government does not accept flights with deported Venezuelan migrants from US territory.

This warning comes after President Donald Trump secretly signed a proclamation on Friday, based on the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.

According to the White House, this decision was made under the argument that the United States is facing an «invasion» by the Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua.

US threatens sanctions against Venezuela over deportations

However, Trump did not provide evidence and several legal experts have questioned the validity of this justification.

As a result of the proclamation, 261 migrants, mostly Venezuelans, were deported to El Salvador.

There, they were incarcerated in a mega-prison, as part of an agreement between Trump and the Salvadoran president, Nayib Bukele.

This measure has generated strong criticism from Maduro’s government.

On Monday, the Venezuelan government denounced that these migrants were «kidnapped» and announced that it will take the case to international bodies.

They claim that the deportations represent a crime against humanity and seek to pressure the international community to take action.

Before this crisis, Maduro had agreed with the US special envoy, Richard Grenell, to resume deportation flights.

However, these were suspended last Friday when the Venezuelan Minister of Interior and Justice, Diosdado Cabello, announced their cancellation due to «climatic problems.»

With the increasing tension between both countries, the possibility of new US sanctions against Venezuela threatens to further deteriorate diplomatic relations and affect the Venezuelan economy.

The international community is closely following the events, according to EFE.