Venezuela to continue accepting deported migrants despite Trump's airspace closure assertion

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — U.S.-operated flights returning deported migrants to Venezuela will continue despite President Donald Trump’s assertion that the airspace of the South American country should be considered closed.

The government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced Tuesday that the twice-weekly flights will go on following a request from the Trump administration. That reverses a Venezuelan government announcement Saturday that indicated that U.S. immigration authorities had unilaterally suspended the flights.

An overflight and landing application submitted Monday by U.S.-based Eastern Airlines requests permission for an arrival Wednesday. The application was made public Tuesday by Venezuela’s foreign affairs minister.

Venezuelans have been steadily deported to their home country this year after Maduro, under pressure from the White House, did away with his long-standing policy of not accepting deportees from the U.S.

Immigrants arrive regularly at the airport outside the capital, Caracas, on flights operated by a U.S. government contractor or Venezuela’s state-owned airline. More than 13,000 immigrants have returned so far this year on the chartered flights, the latest of which arrived Friday.

The flights have continued despite U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean and off Venezuela's Caribbean coast.

The Trump administration says the strikes are aimed at drug cartels, some of which it claims are controlled by Maduro. Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. would start doing strikes on land soon, though he didn’t specify where and said attacks might occur in countries besides Venezuela, suggesting Colombia could see military strikes.

“You know, the land is much easier, much easier. And we know the routes they take,” Trump said to reporters as he met with his Cabinet at the White House. “We know everything about them. We know where they live. We know where the bad ones live. And we’re going to start that very soon too.”

Later, when asked to elaborate, Trump said he was speaking about countries that are manufacturing and selling fentanyl or cocaine. The president said he heard that Colombia is manufacturing cocaine and selling it to the U.S.

“Anybody that’s doing that and selling it into our country is subject to attack,” Trump said.

He added a few moments later, “Not just Venezuela.”

Colombia is indeed the world’s top cocaine producer. Its president, Gustavo Petro, rejected Trump’s assertion that any country that produces drugs bound for the U.S. could be hit with U.S. strikes. Petro also warned Trump that any attack on Colombia would be perceived as a “declaration of war.”

“Don’t ruin two centuries of diplomatic relations” Petro wrote in a post on X. “If there is a country that has helped to stop thousands of tons of cocaine from reaching American consumers, it is Colombia.”

As tensions continue to escalate, Pope Leo XVI on Tuesday called for the U.S. to pursue dialogue and even economic pressure on Venezuela, rather than threats of military action, to achieve its goals.

Leo, history’s first American pope, told reporters aboard the papal plane returning from Lebanon that the Venezuelan bishops conference and the Vatican Embassy in Caracas were trying to calm the situation and look out for the plight of ordinary Venezuelans.

“The voices coming from the United States change, with a certain frequency at times,” he said. “On the one hand, it seems there was telephone conversation between the two presidents, on the other, there’s this danger, this possibility of an activity, an operation including invading the territory of Venezuela.”

He stressed that he didn’t have further information. “Again I believe it’s better to look for ways of dialogue, perhaps pressure -- including economic pressure -- but looking for other ways to change, if that’s what the United States wants to do.”

More than 7.7 million Venezuelans have left their country since 2013, when Maduro became president and the nation's oil-dependent economy spiraled from a combination of corruption, mismanagement and a drop in crude prices. Most immigrants have settled in Latin American and Caribbean countries, but pandemic-induced job losses prompted many to move to the U.S.

The U.S. began targeting Venezuelan officials with economic sanctions in 2015, but under the first Trump administration, those were expanded significantly, freezing all government assets, blocking Venezuela’s access to U.S. financial markets and prohibiting U.S. individuals and entities from engaging in transactions with Maduro's government.

The economic pressure did not meet the goal of toppling Maduro, whose government found ways to skirt sanctions and eventually earned concessions from the U.S. after promising to work with his opponents to achieve free and fair conditions for a 2024 presidential election. Maduro, however, claimed victory in that contest despite credible evidence to the contrary.

Associated Press writers Nicole Winfield aboard the papal plane, Manuel Rueda in Bogota, Colombia, and Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed to this report.

Pope Leo XIV talks to reporters aboard an airplane as he returns from a six-day visit to Turkey and Lebanon, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (Alessandro Di Meo/Pool Photo via AP)

A COPA Airlines plane taxis at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, days after the government revoked operating rights for international airlines that suspended flights following a warning from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.(AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro addresses supporters during a swearing-in event for government-organized community committees at the presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

A COPA Airlines plane takes off at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, days after the government revoked operating rights for international airlines that suspended flights following a warning from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.(AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — World Cup co-host Mexico was optimistic about its chances of advancing from the group stage after being drawn to play against South Africa, South Korea and a yet-to-be-determined European team.

While some TV analysts described the group as “easy,” coach Javier Aguirre was more cautious.

“We faced Korea and they are not an easy team. They do their job. They are disciplined and organized, while South Africa is not easy either," he said after the draw in Washington on Friday. “They are good teams, but we have a chance, we are at home and with our people.”

Mexico faces South Africa on June 11 in Mexico City in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup. A week later El Tri will play South Korea in Guadalajara. The last group stage match will be against the winner of a European playoff involving Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic and Ireland.

The country has high hopes despite being eliminated in the group stage in the 2022 World Cup and mixed results in international matches ahead of next year's tournament.

“There won’t be any easy opponents, but it could have been worse,” said striker Raul Jimenez, who plays for Fulham in the Premier League. “I think it’s a good group, from which we can learn a lot, and we’re taking it one game at a time because what we want is to win and finish first.”

Mexico has played South Korea twice in World Cup history and won both games, in France 1998 and Russia 2018. The teams tied 2-2 in a friendly match last September.

“It’s basically a European team, everyone is in Europe except the goalkeeper, they have a coach I know and they have physical strength which makes them a very strong opponent,” Aguirre said.

Mexico's only World Cup encounter with South Africa was a 1-1 draw in the opening game of the 2010 tournament, which South Africa hosted. That Mexico team was coached by Aguirre, who is now at the helm for the third time.

Mexico hosted World Cups in 1970 and 1986 and reached the quarterfinals both times. It lost to West Germany on penalties in the quarterfinals of the 1986 tournament. Aguirre, who was a member of that Mexico squad, said hot weather could be an advantage in next year’s tournament.

“I remember the 1986 World Cup match against Germany; it was very hot. It’s going to be a demanding situation for our opponents, but we’ll be preparing at home,” the 67-year-old coach said. “We hope to have our players who are currently playing outside of Mexico back soon so they can adapt.”

Even though it is co-hosting the tournament this time with the United States and Canada, Mexico also expects to receive a boost from playing its group stage matches — and possibly some knockout phase matches — at home.

“You feel a responsibility as one of the hosts to open this great event,” team captain Edson Álvarez said. “We rely on the extra support the fans give us, and opening the event against South Africa helps, and we can do great things.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum holds up the team name of Mexico during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025.(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)