Venezuela says US has suspended deportation flights; US denies it

By Stefano Pozzebon, Lauren Kent, Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN

(CNN) — The Venezuelan government said the US administration has unilaterally suspended deportation flights from the United States, including at least one that was due to land Friday, but a US administration official denied that was the case.

“This Thursday, the Venezuelan government received the decision by the United States government to unilaterally suspend the return of Venezuelan citizens who were scheduled to return on December 12,” Venezuela’s national aviation authority said in a statement.

“Venezuela reiterates its willingness to receive its citizens despite the suspension by the U.S.,” the aviation authority added. “The suspension interrupts a process that had been carried out in a coordinated manner and represented a way to alleviate the situation of Venezuelan nationals detained and persecuted on U.S. soil.”

“There is no truth to this. Deportation flights to Venezuela will continue,” a US administration official told CNN on Friday.

CNN’s Sol Amaya and Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.

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