Maria Corina Machado Accuses Venezuela Authorities of Blocking Her Return After Earthquakes Killed 1,700

Venezuela’s acting political crisis intensified after two powerful earthquakes killed more than 1,700 people, as Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado accused the authorities of blocking her return to the country.

“CARACAS—Twin earthquakes opened the earth beneath Venezuela a week ago, killing almost 3,000 people”

Americas Quarterly

Machado said the government closed “the commercial airspace of Venezuela to block my entry,” and then “they had to reverse this decision, but they threatened those who want to facilitate my return,” while the Maiquetía International Airport serving Caracas was closed due to damage and later partially reopened for humanitarian flights.

Americas Quarterly

The opposition leader, in exile since December after escaping to Oslo to receive the Nobel Prize, posted a video saying she hopes to return to accompany Venezuelans “in these heartbreaking hours.”

The earthquakes came about six months after the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by the U.S. military, and Delcy Rodríguez now serves as interim president under Washington’s pressure, according to Le Figaro.

Le Figaro also said the opposition led by Machado claims the victory of her candidate Edmundo González Urrutia in the 2024 presidential election, for which Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner despite fraud allegations.

As Machado pressed to return after the June 24 earthquakes, Axios reported that top Trump administration officials blasted her efforts as “grotesque political opportunism,” saying her actions “saddled the State Department with extra needless drama.”

Axios quoted a senior administration official saying, “It's political opportunism and it's grotesque,” and described another official’s view that Machado “wants a photo op of her passing out our aid.”

blue News

The same Axios account said John Barrett, the top U.S. diplomat in Caracas, told Univision that the administration had “a great deal of confidence ... in the local authorities,” even as Machado’s attempts to enter Venezuela were described as creating friction.

In a separate report, News4JAX published Associated Press photos and captions showing Delcy Rodríguez speaking during a press conference addressing the government’s response to the back-to-back earthquakes in Caracas, Venezuela, on Thursday, July 2, 2026.

Le Figaro added that Delcy Rodríguez’s administration did not respond to Machado’s appeal, while another opposition representative, Dinorah Figuera, was preferred by the United States to discuss a “democratic transition” with President of Parliament Jorge Rodríguez.

While Machado’s return became a political flashpoint, Le Temps reported that rescue teams with sniffer dogs searched for last survivors after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela, with the death toll reaching 1,450 and the number of buildings affected or collapsed standing at 774, including 189 total collapses.

“Skip to main content Jul 1, 2026 - Politics & Policy Trump admin blasts Machado's "grotesque political opportunism" after Venezuela quakes Marc Caputo email (opens in new window) sms (opens in new window) facebook (opens in new window) twitter (opens in new window) linkedin (opens in new window) bluesky (opens in new window) Add Axios as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google”

Axios

Le Temps said the United Nations estimates the number of missing at around 50,000, and it quoted interim president Delcy Rodríguez saying, “Search and rescue operations continue. We have found living people and, therefore, the operations are not suspended. We still hold out hope.”

In the same account, Le Temps described residents in Caraballeda forcing soldiers to help clear debris, and it included Alexander Mijares, a 26-year-old volunteer rescuer and shopkeeper, saying, “My outrage stems from the fact that a general arrived with about twenty armed soldiers.”

Le Temps also reported that Pope Leo XIV expressed solidarity at the Vatican in Spanish, and it said the damage is estimated at nearly seven billion dollars, about 6% of the country’s GDP, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Meanwhile, Zonebourse Suisse reported that Machado, currently in Panama, said she is “ready to do whatever it takes” to return to Venezuela to participate in reconstruction efforts and coordinate and encourage citizens’ efforts during the emergency.