PHOTO ESSAY: Photos of Venezuelan migrants who returned home following US immigration crackdown
Byline: Matias Delacroix
Gabriela Villanueva, third from left, and her husband Juan Guedez, right, sit with her in-laws outside their home in Araure, Venezuela, June 11, 2025. The couple traveled by land from Chile to Mexico, crossing the Darien Gap in an attempt to reach the U.S., but returned home after the Trump administration closed the border to asylum seekers. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Original Publication Date: November 10, 2025 8:06AM
Publication Updated: November 10, 2025 11:26AM
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — More than a decade after Venezuela’s economic collapse sent millions to flee abroad, U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown is driving many to return home, often to worse conditions than those they left.
Some have made the long, dangerous journey on their own, while others have been flown back after President Nicolás Maduro, under U.S. pressure, agreed earlier this year to accept deportees following years of refusal.
Those returning face runaway inflation, low wages and mounting uncertainty over Venezuela’s political future as the U.S. intensified a military campaign in the Caribbean and offered a $50 million reward for Maduro’s arrest, accusing him of drug trafficking.
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This is a documentary photo story curated by AP photo editors.
Gabriela Villanueva commutes to her home in Acarigua, Venezuela, June 12, 2025. She and her husband returned after traveling by land from Chile to Mexico, where they decided to turn back following the Trump administration’s decision to close the border to asylum seekers. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)Gabriela Villanueva, sitting, third from left, attends a makeup course in Acarigua, Venezuela, June 12, 2025. She and her partner returned home after traveling by land from Chile to Mexico, where they decided to turn back following the Trump administration’s decision to close the U.S. border to asylum seekers. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)Juan Guedez, left, works at a tire repair shop in Araure, Venezuela, June 12, 2025. He and his partner, Gabriela Villanueva, returned home after traveling by land from Chile to Mexico, where they decided to turn back following the Trump administration’s decision to close the U.S. border to asylum seekers. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)Juan Guedez, left, and his wife, Gabriela Villanueva, walk with their daughter in Araure, Venezuela, June 12, 2025. The couple traveled by land from Chile to Mexico, crossing the Darien Gap in an attempt to reach the U.S., but had to make their way back home after the Trump administration closed the border to asylum seekers. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)People travel in Maracaibo, Venezuela, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)Butcher Richard Lazcano waits to load meat he purchased at Las Pulgas market onto a bus to take to the Colombian border to sell, in Maracaibo, Venezuela, June 19, 2025. Lazcano returned to his old job after his attempt to reach the United States was cut short when the Trump administration suspended asylum appointments. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)Butcher Richard Lazcano, top right, waits to load sacks of meat he purchased onto a bus to take to the Colombian border to sell, at Las Pulgas market in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Thursday, June 19, 2025. Lazcano returned to his old job after his attempt to reach the United States was cut short when the Trump administration suspended asylum appointments. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)Slabs of raw tripe hang from meat hooks at a butchery in Las Pulgas market in Maracaibo, Venezuela, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)Butcher Richard Lazcano, center, walks to a bus with sacks of meat he purchased at Las Pulgas market to take to the Colombian border to sell, in Maracaibo, Venezuela, June 19, 2025. Lazcano returned to his old job after his attempt to reach the United States was cut short when the Trump administration suspended asylum appointments. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)Butcher Richard Lazcano counts U.S. dollar bills to pay for a bus to the Colombian border, where he will sell meat he bought at Las Pulgas market in Maracaibo, Venezuela, June 19, 2025. Lazcano returned to his old job after his attempt to reach the United States was cut short when the Trump administration suspended asylum appointments. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)Homes cover a hill in Las Minas de Baruta neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)A boy walks on a jetty along the shore of Lake Maracaibo, near La Salina oil shipping terminal in Cabimas, Venezuela, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)Enderson Betancur rides home in the Las Minas de Baruta neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, June 22, 2025. He traveled by land from Caracas to the U.S. border, crossing the Darien Gap, but was deported to Mexico by U.S. authorities and eventually gave up his hopes of reaching the United States, returning home. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)David Rodriguez hands his girlfriend a drink on a beach in La Guaira, Venezuela, June 24, 2025. He traveled by land from Caracas to the U.S. border, crossing the Darien Gap, but was deported to Mexico by U.S. authorities and eventually gave up his hopes of reaching the United States, returning home. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)Motorcycle taxi driver David Rodriguez through Caracas, Venezuela, June 23, 2025. He traveled by land from Caracas to the U.S. border, crossing the Darien Gap, but was deported to Mexico by U.S. authorities and eventually gave up his hopes of reaching the United States, returning home. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)Enderson Betancur, left, talks with his cousin David Rodriguez outside their home in the Las Minas de Baruta neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, June 22, 2025. Both men traveled by land from Caracas to the U.S. border, crossing the Darien Gap, but were deported to Mexico by U.S. authorities and eventually gave up their hopes of reaching the United States, returning home. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)Motorcyclists perform stunts at a street event in the Petare neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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