US deportation to Venezuela followed by deadly earthquakes

Abelardo Rincón, a Venezuelan immigrant living in Georgia, was deported to Caracas on Flight 164, only hours after twin earthquakes struck the country, claiming thousands of lives.

Abelardo had been building a life in the U.S., working at a car dealership, marrying, and expecting a child. He was detained by U.S. immigration officials during the Trump‑era crackdown and placed on a deportation flight on June 24.

The passengers bound for Venezuela were housed in Hotel Santuario La Llanada in La Guaira, where the earthquakes registered 7.6 and 6.9 on the Richter scale. The collapse of buildings killed at least 2,200 people, wounded over 10,000, and left 50,000 missing, according to United Nations reports.

Rincón and many others on the flight were among the missing. His family in Atlanta received a call from their son immediately after he was turned back into Venezuelan custody, only to be left unaware of his fate.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the flight had “successfully reached Venezuela,” but did not elaborate on the circumstances or follow‑up. Venezuelan authorities have offered limited information, hampered by the disaster’s scale.

Eyewitnesses described the chaos in La Guaira: “We drove all night,” says Paola Chacón, sister of a deported man who returned to the country just before the quake. “We had no way to communicate with him.”

In the aftermath, survivors are emerging from rubble, some injured or missing. First responders are still scanning collapsed structures, while families hold vigil for those lost. The tragedy underscores the vulnerability of displaced persons caught in natural disasters.