Pressure Mounts for María Corina Machado’s Return: Salazar Backs Her, Washington Hesitates, the Regime Blocks Her Entry

Pressure for the return of Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado to Venezuela intensifies as the opposition leader remains stranded in Panama, barred from entering her country following the closure of airspace decreed by the regime of Delcy Rodríguez amid the emergency caused by the June 24 earthquakes.

The leader of Vente Venezuela denounced the blockade on the same day that Republican Representative María Elvira Salazar and European allies demanded that her return be guaranteed, in the face of a White House that has been reluctant to support the operation in the midst of rescue efforts following the severe earthquakes that have devastated several cities, especially La Guaira.

Salazar, a congresswoman from Florida and one of the voices in Washington most closely aligned with the Venezuelan cause, directly endorsed the opposition leader’s return. “María Corina Machado is Venezuelan. She is the legitimate leader of the opposition and does not need Delcy Rodríguez’s permission to return to her country,” she said on "X." “Today, more than ever, Venezuela needs her leadership to confront this tragedy and rebuild the country’s future," added the lawmaker, who in other messages blamed the regime and Diosdado Cabello—designated by Washington as a narco-terrorist—for obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the crisis zone.

Machado, who had announced on Sunday in an interview with Fox News that “the time has come” to return to Venezuela, released a video on Monday from Panama City in which she blamed Chavismo for blocking her entry. “The regime closed our country’s airspace to try to prevent me from returning,” stated the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who asserted that the measure had to be reversed. “They had to reverse it, but they have threatened those who want to facilitate my return,” she said.

“This isn’t about me; there are thousands, millions of us who want to be together—a nation in mourning that needs to find comfort in unity." She added: “I will do whatever it takes to be with you there.”

The two earthquakes that struck the northern part of the country on June 24, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, constitute the deadliest natural disaster in Venezuela in decades. According to figures released by the Chavista regime—without independent verification—the death toll rose to 1,719 and the number of injured to 5,034, data attributed to the official tally broadcast on the state-run channel Venezolana de Televisión. The government also reported thousands of displaced people and hundreds of damaged buildings, while residents of the hardest-hit areas complain of delays in the arrival of aid.

Machado has been outside Venezuela since December 2025, when he left the country clandestinely to receive the Nobel Prize in Oslo, after more than a year in hiding following the fraudulent 2024 elections. In January, a U.S. military operation resulted in the capture of former dictator Nicolás Maduro, and since then, the country has been under the control of the leadership of the interim regime headed by Delcy Rodríguez.

Support, however, is not unanimous in Washington. According to a report by Reuters, several high-ranking officials in the administration of Donald Trump reportedly reacted with frustration to Machado’s efforts to return immediately, considering the timing inappropriate. “We support her returning to Venezuela, but does it have to be 24 hours after a massive humanitarian catastrophe where the death toll continues to climb?” said an official from the White House, who told the news agency. The New York Times, citing two anonymous officials, reported that a faction within the administration described the request as “inappropriate.” However, according to the Spanish newspaper ABC, some officials within the Trump administration have encouraged Machado to try to return. Days earlier, according to press reports, an initial plan to travel from the United States to Curaçao and from there to Venezuela had reportedly been suspended after he was warned that he would be traveling without Washington’s backing. Meanwhile, the State Department reported the deployment of rescue teams and the release of $150 million in humanitarian aid.

In Europe, the leader’s allies also spoke out. Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, a member of the People’s Party, appealed to the White House to act responsibly: “Venezuela’s leader is on her way to Venezuela. As it should be. Delcy and Diosdado have no right to prevent this. @POTUS and @SecRubio have a responsibility to ensure it happens," she wrote on X. Spanish Vox MEP Hermann Tertsch joined the calls: “María Corina Machado must return to Venezuela now,” he said, before lashing out at the Chavista leadership and warning that no real transition is possible under Delcy Rodríguez’s current interim administration.

For now, Machado says she remains “close to Venezuela” and is ready to travel as soon as conditions allow. A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) imposed restrictions on commercial flights in the country through July 2.