Deportation Flights of Venezuelans Not Paused After Maduro Arrest, DHS Confirms

Venezuelan applicants can apply for refugee status if they have not entered the United States, the agency says.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Baltimore Field Office Director Matt Elliston listens during a briefing in Silver Spring, Md., on Jan. 27, 2025. Alex Brandon/AP Photo

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) clarified that deportations flights of Venezuelan nationals are ongoing and that applicants can apply for refugee status only before entering the United States.

In an interview with “Fox News Sunday,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was asked whether Venezuelans can remain in the United States after a U.S. operation led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. She responded by saying that they can apply for refugee status instead of relying on temporary protected status (TPS).

“Every individual that was under TPS has the opportunity to apply for refugee status, and that evaluation will go forward,” Noem said.

“We need to make sure that our programs actually mean something and that we’re following the law.”

DHS ended TPS for Venezuela in 2025, a decision later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. Approximately 600,000 Venezuelan nationals were or are living in the United States under the now-scrapped program, which was established under the Biden administration.

When asked about Noem’s comment, a spokesperson for DHS told The Epoch Times on Jan. 5: “Flights are not paused. Applicants are only eligible for refugee status prior to entering the country.”

The spokesperson also pointed to Noem’s decision that ended TPS for Venezuelan nationals last year, adding that they can leave the United States for their home country after Maduro’s arrest.

DHS also responded to the “Leading Report” account on X, accusing it of misquoting Noem in a Jan. 4 post that said that “Venezuelan migrants can apply to become refugees in the United States.”

The agency wrote: “This is not what Secretary Noem said. President Trump is bringing stability to Venezuela and bringing to justice an illegitimate Narco Terrorist dictator who stole from his own people. Secretary Noem ended Temporary Protected Status for more than 500,000 Venezuelans and now they can go home to a country that they love.”

Also in her interview, Noem said that Venezuela is “more free today than it was yesterday,” referring to Maduro’s capture. Multiple human rights groups and the State Department have said that Maduro’s regime frequently committed human rights violations and crimes against humanity, including extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, and using criminal gangs such as Tren de Aragua to carry out such repression.

President Donald Trump has also halted asylum applications from Venezuela and 18 other countries following a shooting that left a National Guard soldier dead in Washington late in 2025.

On the afternoon of Jan. 5, Maduro pleaded not guilty in a federal courthouse in New York City.

“I’m innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country,” Maduro told a judge.

Maduro was making his first appearance in a U.S. courtroom on Jan. 5 on narco-terrorism charges after U.S. forces captured him.

Maduro, his wife, his son, and several others are accused of working with drug cartels to ship thousands of tons of cocaine into the United States. They could face life in prison if convicted.

His next court date is set for March 17.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.