Despite ongoing bilateral discussions aimed at repatriating deported migrants, President Donald Trump offered another hint this week about his plan to pressure Nicolás Maduro. Contrary to forecasts from outlets like The Wall Street Journal that floated a possible resumption of Chevron’s license to operate in Venezuela, the White House announced a 25 percent tariff on countries that purchase Venezuelan oil and gas. He asserted that Venezuela has been hostile to the United States and to the freedoms it champions.
The warning targeted nations that both import Venezuelan crude and ship products to the United States. Trump argued that Venezuela has sent tens of thousands of high‑risk criminals to the United States in a deliberate and deceitful move, many of whom are killers or violently inclined. He specifically cited the Gang Tren de Aragua, described by Washington as a foreign terrorist organization. Washington framed its actions as a major effort to return those individuals to Venezuela. Some deportees were sent to a maximum‑security facility in El Salvador. Families of the deportees maintain they were simply migrants with no ties to criminal networks.
Maduro’s government faced a moment that seemed to have cleared away the worst threats after a visit to Caracas by a Trump envoy, Richard Grenell, who met Maduro in person. Nothing unfolded as the president had hoped. He had floated a zero‑agenda plan with the White House to move past the disputes of recent years. The first move followed: Chevron was told to leave Venezuela by early April, a decision with wide‑reaching economic consequences. Caracas had counted on roughly three billion dollars from Chevron’s activities this year. Chevron had resumed operations thanks to a Biden administration authorization intended to create better conditions for elections held last July, a move Washington says could not be rewarded by Maduro’s contested reelection.
The Miraflores Palace responded to Chevron’s departure with a plan to boost production and lure other foreign oil firms to establish a foothold in Venezuela. The state oil company PDVSA aimed, as in 2019 when Trump imposed tough sanctions, to sell its output at lower prices. The latest step by the billionaire magnate complicates the government’s horizon, making it much harder to attract buyers for Venezuelan crude.
Observers say the episode underscores a broader clash over Venezuela’s oil leverage at a time when energy markets are closely watching Washington’s policy choices. For Caracas, the risk is clear: missing buyers for heavy crude at affordable prices could slow any hoped‑for stabilization of the economy and complicate plans to attract new partners. For Washington, the policy moves are part of a strategy to pressure Maduro’s government while shaping international energy flows. The immediate question is whether the tariffs will shift trade patterns or provoke other producers to shield themselves from the evolving rules. In the near term, volatility lingers as governments and companies reassess exposure to U.S. sanctions and the political landscape in Caracas evolves. — Reuters