During last year’s presidential campaign, many in the Venezuelan community in the United States saw Donald Trump as the leader who would finally put an end to Nicolás Maduro’s totalitarian regime. Today, less than a month into the new administration in the White House, there is a growing sense of frustration due to the termination of TPS, the renewal of oil contracts with the South American country, and the implementation of an agreement to deport Venezuelans.
Although the president has expressed his opposition to socialism in all its forms and the official position of the Trump administration is to reject Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate president, in practice, several actions have raised serious doubts.
Trump, Maduro, and a Diplomatic Shift
In 2019, during Trump’s first term, the White House recognized Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president. However, Maduro clung to power, severed diplomatic ties with the United States, and eventually refused to accept deported Venezuelans.
Years later, before the international community, Edmundo González won the Venezuelan presidential elections held in July 2024. But Maduro, through repressive and dictatorial actions, once again refused to relinquish power and declared himself the winner—without presenting the electoral records to date. The United States once again refused to recognize Maduro as the legitimate president.
Many expected that Trump, now in his second term, would take action to restore democracy in Venezuela. However, the Republican had another priority: deporting Venezuelans. Let’s look at the facts.
Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González tried to meet with Trump several times but was not received at the White House. As a consolation prize, González met with Marco Rubio in Panama.
An agreement
Meanwhile, Trump’s special envoy Richard Grenell led a diplomatic mission to Caracas on January 31. Amid laughter, handshakes, and photo ops, the visit resulted in Maduro agreeing to accept all deported Venezuelans from the U.S., including alleged members of the Tren de Aragua criminal organization. But in exchange for what?
Sources cited by The Miami Herald claim that, as part of the agreement, the U.S. renewed Chevron’s license to operate in Venezuela. Although the Trump administration denies a “quid pro quo,” analysts believe that Maduro used the deportations as a bargaining chip to ease oil sanctions. Additionally, six Americans imprisoned in Venezuela were released.
Chevron is one of the few companies still extracting oil in the country, and its operations are crucial for injecting dollars into Venezuela’s economy.
On Monday, February 10, two flights operated by the state-run airline Conviasa departed from El Paso, Texas, carrying 190 Venezuelans on board. According to Grenell, these flights were paid for by Venezuela, marking an unprecedented level of cooperation between the two governments.
The End of TPS for Thousands of Venezuelans
For Trump, democracy in Venezuela has taken a backseat. His priority is fulfilling his mass deportation promise, which is why—without justification—the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 350,000 Venezuelans will expire on April 7.
Secretary Kristi Noem stated that although Venezuela remains in crisis, there have been “notable improvements” in the economy, healthcare, and security. Therefore, the administration considers it safe for migrants to return. We thought such absurd claims were only possible in Maduro’s imagination.
TPS will remain in effect until September 10 of this year, but only for those who obtained it in 2021, leaving thousands in legal limbo. Sadly, many of those affected naively placed their hopes in Trump.
Find this article in Spanish here.