On Sunday, September 18, Breitbart News published an in-depth investigation revealing that Nicolás Maduro’s socialist regime is emptying Venezuelan prisons to ship violent offenders to the United States.
While Breitbart does not mention the details of how the Maduro regime allegedly operates to send Venezuelan convicts to the border, it does claim that an anonymous Customs and Border Protection (CBP) source saw a Department of Homeland Security (NHS) report received by the Border Patrol that “instructs agents to look for Venezuelan inmates released from entering the U.S.”
According to the report, an unnamed Customs and Border Protection source saw a Department of Homeland Security report that “instructs agents to look for Venezuelan inmates released from entering the U.S.” The report does not mention any details about how this operates.
The source stated that allegedly, some released prisoners were convicted of murder, rape and extortion. Although, it was mentioned in the article that American authorities don’t have access to Venezuelan criminal records. It is impossible to know for sure which of these immigrants have committed crimes without a confession from them or unless they have proper documentation stating otherwise.
“Unless we apprehend someone who voluntarily tells us they have committed a violent crime in Venezuela, we can only guess and that doesn’t work well,” the source reported. “They will more than likely be released.”
The CBP official went on to say that this alleged plan by the Maduro regime is eerily similar to the 1980s Castro dictatorship’s playbook.
“The intelligence report warns agents the freed prisoners have been seen within migrant caravans traveling from Tapachula, Mexico toward the U.S.-Mexico border as recently as July,” the report states. “The source, not authorized to speak to the media, said the move is reminiscent of a similar action taken by Cuban dictator Fidel Castro during the Mariel boat lift in the 1980s.”
Venezuelan immigrants are aware that some of their fellow travelers who want to cross the border illegally are criminals, even though authorities have no knowledge of whether these criminals travel in groups. “It is sort of open secret.”
The report, which is not directly quoted, does not specify whether this release of criminals allegedly heading to the United States could be part of a geopolitical move to affect the country’s national security. However, one can speculate that such a maneuver would impacted America’s safety.
Because the Maduro regime is releasing prisoners to go to the United States, this news raises questions about potential issues that could arise. In South America, there have been past cases where Venezuelan gangs released from prison have caused destruction. One example is the Tren de Aragua, a criminal gang originally from Venezuela that has now spread its violence to surrounding countries such as Peru, Chile, Colombia, Bolivia and Ecuador.
Geopolitical experts and American politicians are not holding back when it comes to commenting on the recent reports. For example, former diplomat Alberto Miguel Fernandez said on Twitter that if the tactic is true, “it would be Fidel Castro’s cruel and sadistic 1980 Mariel tactic all over again.” This makes sense as there is a high level of Cuban influence over Maduro’s regime.
Likewise, Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX), commented on Twitter that DHS confirmed “Venezuela empties jails and sends violent criminals to our southern border.”
“President Trump warned us about this years ago,” added Nehls.
The plight of Venezuelan migrants is at the forefront of Washington discussions.
Most recently, Venezuelan immigrants have been in the national spotlight, especially after Florida and Texas governors Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott sent a number of illegal migrants (primarily from Venezuela) to sanctuary cities like Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts and specifically to the Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence in Washington D. C.
The increased migratory flow has caused a shortage of space in shelters, leaving Venezuelans living on the streets in El Paso, Texas– as reported by Jorge Ventura of the Daily Caller.
On September 14, Jorge Bonilla, director of MRC Latino also shared a video of a Venezuelan immigrant saying that shelters for migrants are full of people like him who have committed crimes.
Venezuela is now experiencing an unprecedented political, economic, and social crisis in the region as a result of the socialist policies of the Chavista regime, which has resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe for those who have been forced to leave their homes owing to politics. Currently, there are about 6.8 million Venezuelans abroad. There is no other country that comes close to this number.