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State Department warns Venezuela to accept deportees, says El Salvador agreed to take MS‑13 members
Summary
A State Department briefing said a statement from Secretary Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz demands Venezuela accept repatriated nationals or face escalating sanctions; officials also described an agreement with El Salvador to accept MS‑13 members and other requested detainees.
The State Department said Friday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz expect Venezuela to accept U.S. deportation flights and warned the United States will impose “new and more severe sanctions” if Caracas delays or refuses.
Tammy, State Department spokesperson, read a statement saying, “The Maduro regime must accept back all Venezuelan aliens deported by The United States, especially their murderers, rapists, criminals, human traffickers, and other illegally present criminals in The United States. End of discussion. We will impose new and more severe sanctions upon any failure to do so or delays.”
The department also described separate returns handled in Central America. Tammy said El Salvador requested repatriation of two high‑profile MS‑13 members and asked that 21 of its most‑wanted nationals be returned; the briefing said the United States “accommodated that” request and plans to work with Congress to provide assistance to El Salvador’s corrections system.
Why it matters: The statement ties immigration enforcement to diplomacy and sanctions policy. The department framed acceptance of deportees as a nonnegotiable obligation and signaled economic or other penalties if Venezuela does not comply. For El Salvador, the department said it will coordinate support with Congress to help the country manage returned inmates.
Details from the briefing: Tammy said the administration will continue deportation flights to other countries while litigation over the AEA proclamation remains pending in court; she declined to comment on the underlying litigation. She also referred reporters to a tweet from Secretary Rubio describing Caracas’s response as insufficient and said the United States has told Venezuela that further delay will prompt a sanctions response.
What the department did not specify: the briefing did not give a timetable for flights to Venezuela, the precise legal basis named “AEA proclamation” was said to be under judicial challenge, and no dollar amounts for planned assistance to El Salvador were provided.
Ending: The State Department framed the measures as part of a broader enforcement posture and said it will continue deportation operations while weighing additional sanctions if Venezuela does not accept its nationals.
