Rubio on the departure of Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela: 'We’re not going to discuss publicly, that’s going to have to be dealt with'

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the release of detained U.S. citizens and the repatriation of migrants deported by Venezuela were the result of Donald Trump's firm stance. He also stressed that the future of Nicolás Maduro remains a key issue in his Administration's foreign policy.

Release of Americans and deportations of Venezuelans

In an interview for Fox News, Rubio described the recent mission of Ric Grenell in Venezuela as successful, highlighting that he achieved the release of six U.S. citizens when initially only five were expected. In addition, he highlighted that the pressure exerted by the Trump administration forced the regime of Nicolás Maduro to accept the repatriation of Tren de Aragua criminals from Honduras.

Rubio: "Trump is not going to be blackmailed"

The secretary of state rejected the idea that these developments imply a legitimization of the Chavista regime and explained that the obligation to accept deported citizens is backed by international law.

"That regime, which is what controls that territory of Venezuela, has an obligation under the law, under international law, under recognized covenants of every law, to accept their foreign nationals who are unlawfully and illegally in another country. Okay? If an American is – illegally immigrates to Venezuela or Panama or Costa Rica, we have an obligation to take them back if they deport them to us," he said, noting that Grenell only went to Venezuela to tell them that they had to take these people back and that they were going to come and get them.

Rubio also questioned the position of the previous administration and assured that Venezuela had blocked the reception of migratory flights as a strategy of pressure on the Biden administration.

"Venezuela stopped taking migration flights, deportations, because they wanted to blackmail Joe Biden. Donald Trump is not going to be blackmailed. President Trump will not be blackmailed by them. And so that’s what that trip was about," he stressed.

The Trump administration's stance on Maduro

During the interview, Rubio reiterated that the Trump administration's position on Maduro has not changed and called him a "horrible dictator" and a threat to the region. He also accused the Chavista regime of allowing the influence of Iran and China in Venezuela, as well as facilitating the expansion of the Aragua Train, a criminal organization that, he denounced, has "flooded" the United States with criminals.

"He is allowing Iran to operate out of Venezuela. He is allowing the Chinese to operate out of Venezuela. He’s threatening his neighbors in the region. He has flooded us with gang members – flooded with these Tren de Aragua gang members that are in this country doing terrible things. Why would we want someone like that to be there?" he stated.

Although he avoided revealing details about possible future actions, Rubio made it clear that Maduro's permanence in power remains an issue to be resolved. "We’re not going to discuss publicly what our work is going to be in that regard (...) that’s going to have to be dealt with," he reiterated.