Guaidó Arrives in Miami With Washington’s Assistance, Denounces Threats but Leaves His Family Behind

Orinoco Tribune, April 26, 2023 —

Caracas, April 25, 2023 (OrinocoTribune.com)—This Monday, Venezuela’s former deputy Juan Guaidó was escorted by Colombia Migration and US “agents” to the El Dorado airport, from where he flew, before midnight, to the city of Miami, Florida, United States, in a commercial Avianca flight with a ticket provided by the US government, according to statements by Colombian Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva.

Earlier on Monday, April 25, the Colombian Foreign Ministry, through a press release published on social media platforms, reported that in the afternoon of Monday, Colombia Migration took Juan Guaidó—who hours earlier had entered the country illegally—to the El Dorado airport and placed him on a flight to the US.

“In the afternoon, Migración Colombia drove Juan Guaidó, a Venezuelan national who was in Bogotá irregularly, to the El Dorado airport with the aim of verifying his departure on a commercial airline to the US, during the night,” wrote the Colombian Foreign Ministry on social media.

Guaidó enters Colombia “inappropriately”
On Monday, in statements to the Colombian media, Foreign Minister Leyva warned that Guaidó was running “risks” due to his “inappropriate” entry into Colombia, for which he could be deported. The statement was issued hours before the opening of the International Conference on Venezuela, organized by the Colombian government and aiming for the resumption of negotiations between the Venezuelan government and part of the Venezuelan opposition. Guaidó stated that he was in Colombia “within the framework of the summit,” but this was denied by Colombian authorities.

“Obviously, it is not that he wants to participate. He is not invited,” said Foreign Minister Leyva. “On media there were reports that I had invited him. I don’t know Guaidó. I have not had contact with him and, naturally, if he appears, he is at risk, because he entered inappropriately, and in Colombia we abide by the law. He could be deported.” However, in reality, Guaidó was granted safe passage after he presented a ticket provided to him by the US government, and received protection appropriate to a US diplomat.

Guaido, the mythomaniac
For many analysts in Venezuela, the issue is not if Juan Guaidó was invited to the International Conference on Venezuela, or if he was deported or taken by his masters to the paradise of corrupt Latin American outlaws, Miami. The issue is how, after all the money he allowed the White House to steal from Venezuelan assets and all the corruption scandals involving his imaginary tenure as the “interim president,” he left Venezuela unscathed by the so-called dictatorship that he spoke about every time he was in front of a microphone. There is not a single arrest warrant against him, despite multiple cases opened against him by Venezuelan authorities.

Not happy with all the false statements he issued on Monday, former deputy Guaidó found ways to outdo himself. When he was already on the plane to Miami, he denounced the “terrible persecution of the dictatorship” against him and how he was kicked out of Colombia, stating that the “persecution of the dictatorship” even reaches Colombia.

In response to this, Colombian Foreign Minister Leyva explained that Guaidó was not expelled or deported from Colombia, but accompanied to the airport and provided a humanitarian safe conduct. This occurred after Colombian Migration was attempting to determine his location, due to his illegal entry into Colombia, and was provided information about his whereabouts by a high-ranking US official. Leyva added that during the whole process, Guaidó was accompanied by US “agents,” and that his plane ticket was provided by the US government.

Leyva added that Guaidó could have entered Colombia without all the drama that he did, explaining that Guaidó’s wife traveled between Colombia and Venezuela in June 2022, and she had no problem with Colombian migration authorities. Furthermore, Guaidó did not have restrictions to exit Venezuela. For that reason, the Colombian minister explained that behind the whole incident there was an attempt to create a scene and sabotage the summit on Venezuela.

Many Chavistas in Venezuela questioned the statement issued by Guaidó about his alleged persecution and the threats against his wife and family. Prominent Chavista influencer Luigino Bracci Roa wrote on social media: “Allegedly, the regime threatens your family and your daughters, but you escaped and left them alone in Caracas. Bravo, how brave you are.”

Arrival in Miami without red carpet
In the early morning of Tuesday, April 25, Guaidó arrived at the International Airport of Miami without any of the fanfare Washington customarily arranges for his public appearances. Only a handful of television networks were present upon his arrival, and his statements were a hollow repetition of his previous denunciations.

When asked by the US press what kind of threats he received, Guaidó evaded the question, answering: “I would like to give details, but I feel that her life is at risk,” referring to his wife.

At the Miami airport, Guaidó, in front of the cameras, also tried to portray himself as one of the many Venezuelan migrants who emigrated with nothing but their backpacks. Venezuelans know that it was Juan Guaidó, the Venezuelan opposition, the US, and many Latin American right-wing governments that organized and promoted the “Venezuelan migration issue” with the only goal of destabilizing the Venezuelan government and ousting President Nicolas Maduro.

For many analysts in Venezuela, this incident formally ends the failed US-led regime-change operation staged using this second-class Venezuelan opposition figure, despite his removal as “interim president” by the same parties that promoted the operation and now are represented in the Unitary Platform.