Juan Guaido, the former president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, was deported from Colombia to Miami on Tuesday after Colombia’s foreign ministry said he entered the country illegally. File photo by Mauricio Dueno Castaneda/EPA-EFE
April 25 (UPI) — Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido arrived in Miami Tuesday after being deported by Colombian authorities who said he crossed the border illegally to attend a conference on Venezuela in the country.
On his arrival at Miami International Airport, Guaido expressed concern for the safety of his relatives and supporters as he appeared to have lost support from the Colombian government.
“I am very worried about my family and my work team because they have already seen the consequences of the dictatorship,” he said. “They have been tortured, harassed and are currently being directly threatened, not only against Fabian, but also directly against my family.”
The United States and several other countries, including Colombia, previously considered Guaidó to be Venezuela’s leader after he was sworn in in 2020. month of January. became the leader of the National Assembly after lawmakers loyal to President Nicolas Maduro chose their candidate.
On Tuesday, Guaido said he believed support had dried up under newly elected Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
“Now I hope that the countries participating in the summit will talk about human rights, about Venezuelans seeking asylum, that they will raise their voices at the summit organized by President Petro, who has already made up his mind one way or another. it’s happening in Venezuela,” he said.
Guaido planned to meet with some of the delegations sent to Bogota for a diplomatic summit, including representatives from about 20 countries, to discuss possible solutions to Venezuela’s political crisis.
But Colombia’s foreign ministry said Guaido was never invited to the summit and entered the country without a visa.
Migration officials escorted him to El Dorado Airport in Bogotá, where he was put on a commercial flight to Miami.
“Then it is not true that the national government had a plane to transfer Mr. Guaido to that country,” the Colombian government said in a translated statement. “Migration Colombia is on standby to ensure that this journey takes place without any delay.”
