'All exiles must return': US diplomacy reaffirms to the Senate its full support for María Corina Machado's return to the Senate

In a Senate hearing, Michael Kozak, senior bureau official for Western Hemisphere Affairs, dispelled any doubts regarding Washington's stance, assuring that the return of opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado to her homeland has the endorsement and support of the U.S. administration.

The legislative session served to align U.S. foreign policy with the Venezuelan people's cry for justice in the wake of the devastating effects of the recent double earthquake.

Senator Tim Kaine highlighted Machado's historic role in the country's reconstruction and her unwavering humanitarian commitment, noting that President Donald Trump himself made it unequivocally clear upon his return from the NATO summit that the White House has no objection whatsoever to Machado's return to her country.

The Department of State prioritizes the civil leader's return

Far from taking a stance of distancing itself, Kozak emphasized that U.S. policy is designed to protect the right of Venezuelan citizens to live in and rebuild their own country. The official was unequivocal in defining the goal of U.S. diplomacy in this new phase of institutional transition.

"Our position has been that all Venezuelans who have been in exile because they had arrest warrants in Venezuela should be able to return. And that includes, first and foremost, María Corina Machado," Kozak stated verbatim before the Senate committee, affirming the Nobel Peace Prize laureate's status as the central figure of the democratic resistance.

Kozak explained that U.S. diplomacy has been working closely with the interim authorities in Caracas to refine the mechanisms for political reintegration.

While acknowledging that the current amnesty law is a work in progress, he emphasized that thanks to joint efforts, tangible progress has already been made, such as the reopening of the headquarters of democratic political parties and the safe return of numerous leaders whom the dictatorial regime had persecuted.

Total consensus in Washington on the legitimacy of the transition

The exchange on Capitol Hill also served to consolidate the definitive recognition of civilian rule in Venezuela, a fundamental pillar of the United States' hemispheric security strategy. Kozak reaffirmed that the process initiated following the capture of Nicolás Maduro enjoys full legal and political backing in Washington.

"You are absolutely right about the elections. As we have said before, Maduro is leaving, and Edmundo González is the legitimate president-elect of Venezuela," the undersecretary asserted, confirming the success of the U.S. bipartisan strategy in the Southern Cone.

Likewise, the official emphasized that the U.S. government will continue to exert its considerable influence to demand the release of the nearly 400 political prisoners who remain in custody, thereby ensuring a peaceful, orderly, and sovereign transition.