Venezuela Bars Exiled Opposition Leader Machado From Reentering Country
Maria Corina Machado was denied entry into Venezuela three times over the 24 hours before early Wednesday, September 23, 2026, as she tried to return from exile, her advisers said.[1]
Her team said she tried to enter by both air and sea from Panama and was turned away on each occasion.[1] The denials came as interim leader Delcy Rodriguez met President Donald Trump in New York and as U.S.-backed Venezuelan transition talks proceed without Machado's participation.[1]
In December 2025, Machado was covertly taken out of Venezuela by a private U.S. rescue team so she could receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. She has been unable to return to Venezuela since that extraction.
The repeated rejections deepen Machado's exclusion from the negotiations over Venezuela's political future and raise fresh questions about who will be able to participate in any U.S.-backed transition.
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📌 Key Facts
- Over the 24 hours before early Wednesday, September 23, 2026, Maria Corina Machado was denied entry into Venezuela three times, according to adviser David Smolansky.
- Machado attempted to enter Venezuela by both air and sea from exile in Panama and was turned away on each occasion.
- She has been unable to return since being covertly taken out of Venezuela by a private U.S. rescue team in December 2025 to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway.
- The new entry denials occurred as interim leader Delcy Rodriguez met President Donald Trump in New York and as U.S.-backed Venezuelan transition talks proceed without Machado’s participation.
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