Trump will need cooperation from Maduro regime for mass deportations, experts say

President-elect Donald Trump could reach an immigration agreement with the Maduro regime, in an attempt to advance his mass deportation plans, according to experts.

Venezuela is not currently accepting deportees from the United States, but Trump's plans could force Maduro to reach a deal, said Ryan Berg, who directs the Future of Venezuela Initiative, a Washington, D.C. think tank at the Center for Strategic & International Studies.

“We could end up seeing some type of arrangement with (Maduro) if that means the ability to deport more people, so that Venezuela accepts deportee flights,” explained Berg in an interview with Axios, who added that they could even talk about the pressures and sanctions of the first Trump mandate.

A second expert similarly suggested that there is very likely a “transactional approach” from the second Trump administration toward Maduro.

However, Trump's team did not respond to a request for comment from Axios.

There are currently, approximately 270,000 Venezuelans In the United States without authorization, according to Pew Research Center. Now, with the fraudulent elections of July 28 in Venezuela, in which the dictator Nicolás Maduro declared himself the winner without showing evidence, more people could consider emigrating to the North American country.

During a campaign event in August, Trump said, “Venezuela is ruled by a dictator right now,” referring to Nicolás Maduro.

Meanwhile, Maduro has been hinting that, with Trump coming to power, there could be a “new beginning” for both nations, which have not had diplomatic relations since 2019.

The dictator added that his regime is willing to work together with anyone who wants to invest in Venezuela, urging “all Americans” to visit the South American country.

He also said that, after Trump’s “historic return,” the president-elect has the opportunity to end wars, as well as allow respectful relations with Latin America.