The US President, Donald Trump, has announced that a 25% tariff will be imposed on oil and gas purchases from Venezuela, effective from April 2. According to Trump, the decision is based on “multiple reasons” and Venezuela stands “hostile” to the US.
Trump has accused Venezuela of deliberately and insidiously sending tens of thousands of criminal migrants to the US, including “many murderers and very violent people.” He specifically mentioned the Aragua gang, which has been designated a terrorist organization in the US.
The US President stated that the Department of Homeland Security, the Border Patrol and all other law enforcement agencies in the US have been informed of the decision. Last week, the US deported over 200 alleged members of the Venezuelan criminal syndicate to El Salvador, despite a court order to halt the deportations.
The Salvadoran government had offered to house convicted US criminals in the high-security prison Cecot for a fee, an offer accepted by Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
However, the Venezuelan government has denied the US claims, saying that the deported individuals are not members of the Tren de Aragua gang, as previously claimed by US authorities. Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello stated, “It’s a lie that they belong to the Tren de Aragua.”
According to Cabello, none of the 238 deported individuals are members of the criminal syndicate.
Trump had previously made irregular migration a key issue in his 2024 presidential campaign and announced the largest deportation campaign in US history. Since February, around 900 Venezuelans have been deported, mostly from the US and Mexico. The deportation flights were suspended last month, with Venezuela accusing the US of not honoring return agreements. The Venezuelan government then stated it would no longer accept the flights.
The announcement of the tariffs comes after the US and Venezuelan governments reportedly agreed on the resumption of deportation flights on Saturday. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously applied pressure on Venezuela. A flight carrying around 200 migrants landed in Venezuela on Monday, according to reports.