Marco Rubio takes the lead in negotiations with Venezuela to bring 'order' to deportations

The White House wants to resolve the issue of deportations to Venezuela. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has taken responsibility for the mission to bring "order" to the transfer of illegal immigrants back to Venezuela.

According to a report by Semafor, he has done so at the request of the president. He faces an elusive block by the Nicolas Maduro regime, which is not yet admitting repatriation flights from the United States.

It will also not allow those from Mexico, despite the assurances of Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello on Thursday. The Venezuelan regime announced Thursday, per several media reports, that a flight chartered by Conviasa with 311 Venezuelans who had not been able to enter the United States from Mexico arrived at the Caracas airport of Maiquetía.

"We hope that the government of El Salvador will hand over the Venezuelans they are holding hostage in El Salvador, that they will be reunited with their families," Diosdado Cabello said.

However, the State Department assured that this flight has nothing to do with immigrants deported from the United States that Venezuela has to receive. "Despite media reports, repatriation flights to Venezuela via Mexico are not taking place today" wrote the U.S. embassy in Venezuela, at the same time as the State Department.

"Maduro must stop deceiving and schedule consistent, weekly repatriation flights. Our U.S. External Office for Venezuela awaits your response," Rubio's department added on social media.

The flight that arrived Thursday from Mexico carried those several hundred Venezuelans who, according to several sources, never made it into the United States and had been stranded in Mexico for several months. With its statement, the U.S. State Department puts the finger on the non-compliance of the agreements with Venezuela and recalls that today's flight has nothing to do with what was agreed upon with Maduro's regime.

Possible new sanctions for Venezuela

Rubio warned that the U.S. would begin imposing "new, severe and increasing sanctions" if the Venezuelan government does not begin to accept "a consistent flow of deportation flights, with no more excuses or delays." Days earlier, Trump's special envoy for missions, Ric Grenell, announced that the country had "agreed to resume flights."

But Venezuela's commitment has not fully materialized, as only one flight has taken place in the last 45 days, despite the initial promise of weekly flights. Despite having accepted, the important thing for the United States is that the repatriations are effective.

"We are approaching week 10" since Maduro's initial promise about the deportation flights, the official added, "and they have only done it once as they originally and supposedly promised," Grenell assured.