Deportation flights to Venezuela will continue following the arrest of the South American nation's former leader Nicolás Maduro, Fox News has learned.
"Flights are not paused," a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said.
During an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said there were no plans on ending the flights, despite the government in Caracas being in transition.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT UNSEALS MULTI-STATE INDICTMENTS AGAINST TREN DE ARAGUA LEADERS FOR VIOLENT CRIMES
The Trump administration has focused on deporting criminal illegal immigrants, including members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang, which President Donald Trump designated a foreign terrorist organization last year.
An indictment against Maduro alleges that he partnered with narco-terrorists, including TdA and its leader, to distribute cocaine since at least 1999.
"TdA has expanded its criminal network throughout the Western Hemisphere and established a presence in the United States, including New York," the indictment said.
"TdA's criminal activities include human smuggling and other illicit acts. TdA has developed additional revenue sources through a range of other criminal activities, including drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, commercial sex trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, theft, fraud, and extortion. TdA members also commit murder, assault, and other acts of violence to enforce and further the organization's criminal activities," it continued.
Thousands of Venezuelans living in the United States under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) face deportation. Noem ended TPS for Venezuelans last year.
"Given Venezuela’s substantial role in driving irregular migration and the clear magnet effect created by Temporary Protected Status, maintaining or expanding TPS for Venezuelan nationals directly undermines the Trump Administration’s efforts to secure our southern border and manage migration effectively," a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital at the time.
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