The US State Department has threatened Venezuela with new sanctions for refusing to accept deportees.

The United States will tighten sanctions against Venezuela if it does not agree to accept its deported citizens. This was announced on March 19 by the official representative of the country's State Department, Tammy Bruce, at a briefing broadcast on the Reuters Youtube channel.

"The United States will impose tough and escalating new sanctions if the regime of [Venezuelan President Nicolas] Maduro will not accept the flow of deportation flights without delays and pretexts," she said.

Migration exodus: U.S. policy threatens relations with Latin America

Mass deportations of illegal aliens and threats of sanctions could disrupt the sustainability of economic ties in the region

In February, the media reported that the administration of US President Donald Trump was taking measures to lift protection from deportation for 348,000 Venezuelans.

During his term, former US President Joe Biden significantly expanded the temporary protection program, which currently covers more than 1 million people from 17 countries. Some of them have been in the United States for decades, and now they may face immediate deportation if they lose their status.