Caracas, May 14 (EFE) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro thanked his United States counterpart, Donald Trump, and Special Presidential Envoy Richard Grenell for the return of Maikelys, a two-year-old girl who, according to relatives and local authorities, was separated from her mother before boarding a repatriation flight in April.
“I must thank Ambassador Rich Grenell, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, for his efforts, and (…) I must also thank President Donald Trump,” said Maduro, who received the girl along with her mother and grandmother, Yorely Bernal and Raida Inciarte, at the Miraflores presidential palace.
Maduro’s government announced on Wednesday the arrival of the two-year-old in Venezuela, who was received at the Simón Bolívar de Maiquetía International Airport by the First Lady, Cilia Flores, and the Minister of the Interior, Diosdado Cabello.
The little girl, who the Venezuelan government said was “kidnapped” by the United States, arrived on a flight from Texas operated by Omni Air International, which carried 226 migrants, the state-run Venezolana de Televisión (VTV) reported.
According to Cabello, Venezuelan authorities were unsure about the minor’s arrival, which is why her relatives were not at the airport.
Maikely’s mother, Yorely, was deported from the US to Venezuela weeks ago, and her father, Maiker Espinoza, was among the Venezuelans deported to El Salvador in March.
Maduro said he hoped to “rescue” the little girl’s father, who, according to his government, was sent “without any judicial formula or process” to a maximum security prison in El Salvador, with over 250 Venezuelans deported by the United States on charges of being alleged of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang.
“This human victory of having this beautiful girl among us belongs to all the people of Venezuela, but especially to the mothers and grandmothers,” he added.
On May 5, the president said he hoped a US judge would recognize the child’s parental rights and return her to the Caribbean country.
EFE
sc/mcd
