Biden’s administration used flights as a tool to discourage illegal migration.

People familiar with the measures report that Venezuela has taken action on its threat to stop accepting flights for migrants deported from Mexico and the U.S., increasing pressure on President Biden, as an increase in illegal immigration becomes a major issue in the presidential election this year.

The authoritarian regime of President Nicolas Maduro introduced the measure, after Washington reimposed certain economic sanctions that it had lifted previously against Venezuela. The U.S. claimed that Caracas had failed to fulfill its loose promises to restore democracy and hold fair presidential elections. Venezuela also claimed a rich resource-rich area of Guyana’s neighbor, drawing warnings from the U.S.