Venezuela Accuses U.S. of ‘Kidnapping’ 66 Children

The Venezuelan government on Tuesday accused the United States of illegally holding 66 Venezuelan children who were separated from their parents during deportation proceedings, escalating tensions as Washington intensifies its immigration crackdown.

Caracas demanded the children be repatriated, calling U.S. policy “cruel and inhumane.” Camila Fabri, head of Venezuela’s Return to the Homeland program, said the number of children “kidnapped” in the U.S. was rising daily. She spoke at an event where women read letters to U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, appealing for her intervention on behalf of children reportedly placed in foster care.

More than 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled their country since 2014, according to the UN Refugee Agency, citing violence, economic collapse, shortages of food and medicine, and widespread insecurity. While Venezuelans in the U.S. previously held temporary protected status, the Trump administration revoked those protections as part of a broader deportation drive.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has not responded to the claims. Venezuela says 21 children have been returned so far, including one linked to a group of 252 Venezuelans detained in Trump’s March immigration sweep and later deported. Several of those men alleged abuse before being freed in a July prisoner swap.

Fabri said 10,631 Venezuelans have returned this year through deportations or voluntary repatriations. Meanwhile, relations remain fraught: Washington has placed a $50 million bounty on President Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of running a drug-trafficking cartel. On Monday, Maduro vowed to mobilize millions of militia members in response to U.S. “threats.”