Venezuela's Maduro Says U.S. Revocation Of Oil License Will Affect Deportation Flights: 'We Have a Little Problem'

Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro said that scheduled deportation flights from the United States have been "affected" following the Trump administration's decision to revoke an oil license for Chevron in the South American country.

Maduro acknowledged disruptions in the program, which had been in place to return Venezuelans detained in the U.S. and was seen as a gesture of good-will toward the Trump administration:

"Now, we have a little problem because what they did has damaged the communications we had opened. And that affected the trips we had already scheduled with our planes to bring our migrant brothers back and give them a loving embrace when they arrive in their homeland. I wanted to bring them all back"

The remarks came after The Wall Street Journal reported that Venezuela had privately warned the U.S. that it would no longer accept deportation flights after the White House revoked Chevron's license to operate in the country.

According to the report, the move has created a clash inside the Trump administration as some MAGA allies had advocated for a pragmatic approach that allowed American businesses to operate in Venezuela, while others pushed for harsher measures to isolate Maduro

The deal to return Venezuelan migrants had been a key component of the Trump administration's broader deportation plans, as Venezuelans make up a significant portion of unauthorized migrants in the U.S. and the country had largely refused taking them back.

The Trump administration justified Chevron's expulsion by citing Venezuela's failure to meet electoral commitments and a slowdown in the deportation process. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Chevron had been "shamefully bankrolling the illegitimate Maduro regime," arguing that the revocation would exert economic pressure.

Three Republican lawmakers reportedly played a key role in the decision. Axios detailed last week that Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Gimenez and Maria Elvira Salazar, all Cuban-Americans, joined forces before the GOP's budget deal was voted last week to get their way. They reportedly hinted they would withhold their votes if Trump didn't move forward, tanking the initiatives.

"They're going crazy and I need their votes," Trump told confidants when explaining the decision, the outlet explained. The president effectively made the announcement after the budget deal was passed.

The loss of Chevron's operations, which accounted for approximately 250,000 barrels per day of Venezuelan oil production, is expected to cost the country over $3 billion in annual revenue and worsen inflation.

Maduro, on his end, criticized the decision but refrained from direct attacks on U.S. officials, as El Mundo reports. "If it were up to me, Chevron would stay 100 more years," he said on the weekend, while framing his government's stance as opposition to "imperialism and colonialism," rather than anti-American sentiment.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa weighed in on the situation, condemning Maduro's actions through a post on social media, accusing him of having a "complete lack of empathy." He added that "this is how authoritarian and extremist regimes act, without caring about the fate of those fleeing the crisis they themselves caused."