USA03 July, 20262 min read
U.S. Pushes Back on María Corina Machado’s Return to Venezuela After Earthquake
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
U.S. resistance derailed Machado's return to Venezuela. Earthquakes provided the backdrop to her attempted return.
U.S. blocks Machado return
The U.S. government pushed back against María Corina Machado’s attempts to return to Venezuela, with a State Department spokesperson telling this newspaper that her efforts are “counterproductive.” The friction is tied to the earthquakes that left nearly 2,300 dead and 11,000 injured, and the spokesperson said “Adding sensitive political issues to this situation at this time is counterproductive to our relief efforts following this tragedy.”
“Attempts by the Nobel laureate to return now are ‘counterproductive,’ a State Department spokesperson told this newspaper.”
The opposition leader’s plan to travel through Curaçao was derailed when a private plane was ordered to turn back while still in U.S. airspace, after the Wall Street Journal reported that “Dutch authorities, who handle Curaçao’s foreign affairs, initially believed the U.S. backed her trip but withdrew permission for the plane to land.” Edmundo González, the opposition movement’s presidential candidate in the July 2024 election, argued that “Every Venezuelan’s right to enter, remain in and return to their own country does not depend on authorization from those in power,” as the dispute played out alongside the U.S. focus on rescue efforts.
Relief aid and DART
While the U.S. resisted Machado’s timing, it said it was concentrating on disaster response after last week’s earthquakes, with the State Department spokesperson saying “The Trump administration is focused exclusively on continuing our efforts to respond to the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela.” The same report says Washington announced $300 million in humanitarian aid, deployed search-and-rescue teams with highly trained dogs, and established a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART).
El Mundo’s account of the La Guaira disaster described rescue teams still fighting in some places “with their miracles for a country that needs them more than ever,” while José Mesa said “From the Government, nothing, not even rescuers.” In Catia La Mar, Daniel Fernández told EL MUNDO that he was “walking among the rubble looking for my boy,” as the article described families camped in front of the Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi urbanization block after the tragedy struck.
Machado’s next attempt
Despite U.S. resistance, Machado decided to try again, and the report says she flew from Panama last Sunday after Copa Airlines refused to let her board, fearing potential reprisals from the Venezuelan government. In her social media video from Panama, Machado said she wanted “to face this catastrophe together as a united family would when one of its members suffers,” and she added that she could not reach her country because the government in Caracas had closed airspace to prevent her entry.
“This time she flew from Panama last Sunday.”
El Pitazo reported that Juan Pablo Guanipa and María Corina Machado reunited in the U.S. on April 30 after more than a year and three months, and Guanipa said that “Venezuela is in a completely different position” from the one he faced before. El Pitazo also said there was still no official date for Machado’s return, but sources close to her circle told the outlet it would not be by the end of the year and that June was the most likely date, while other people close to Machado believed it could be in weeks.