Venezuela's government has confirmed the return of nearly 1,500 Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States, following the arrival of a flight carrying 175 deportees, Infobae reported. 

Caracas attributed a shortfall of 54 passengers to “great disorganisation” by US authorities, as the aircraft could seat up to 229 migrants.

The plane, operated by US charter carrier Eastern Airlines, took off from Brownsville, Texas, on March 30 and landed at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía shortly after 2:00 p.m. local time. This constitutes the first direct repatriation flight from the US to Venezuela, as previous journeys were operated by state airline Conviasa with a stopover in Honduras.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, who was present at the arrival, stated that among the deportees was a “high-ranking individual” wanted by Venezuelan authorities for crimes in the western state of Trujillo, though he denied any links to the Tren de Aragua criminal organisation.

Cabello accused Washington of falsely associating deported Venezuelans with the transnational gang, which the Trump administration has designated as a terrorist organisation. 
He described the allegations as an attempt to “stigmatise and criminalise” Venezuelans.

Despite diplomatic tensions linked to the US revocation of licences for international oil companies, Cabello confirmed that direct communication between the two governments remains open, facilitating flight clearances, including US overflight permissions. 

This marks the third repatriation flight in a week, following the return of 199 Venezuelans from Texas on March 24 and 178 on March 28. 

In total, 1,471 migrants have been repatriated since February under Venezuela’s "Vuelta a la Patria" programme, which collaborates with the US, Mexico, and Honduras to assist returnees.

On March 28, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk about protecting Venezuelan migrants' rights.

"During both discussions, Maduro underscored the need for the UN to take a firm stance in ensuring the protection of Venezuelan migrants' rights and upholding international law," a Foreign Ministry statement said.

This comes after the US last month sent 238 alleged members of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang to El Salvador, to be housed in the country’s notorious maxi prison.

The UN officials pledged to activate mechanisms to restore migrants' "flagrantly violated" rights, while Maduro reaffirmed his government's commitment to citizen repatriation.