Travel blockages in Panama

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was prevented from returning to Venezuela after making three separate attempts by sea and air on 21 September 2026 from Panama. Machado, the founder of the Vente Venezuela political movement and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, remains in Panama following the blocked departures. Panamanian authorities have not issued a public statement regarding the logistical restrictions that prevented her travel. Her international relations adviser, Pedro Urruchurtu, stated that these three failed crossings brought the total number of unsuccessful return efforts to seven since she left Venezuela in December 2025. The Venezuelan government considers Machado a fugitive and has accused her of inciting foreign military intervention against the state. The Venezuelan opposition coalition Plataforma Unitaria Democratica released an official statement expressing solidarity with Machado and demanding that authorities respect her right to enter her home country.

Urruchurtu detailed the travel restrictions in a public statement on 23 September 2026.

“Attention: They are preventing Maria Corina from returning to Venezuela. In recent hours there have been three attempts, by sea and air, from Panama, without success.”

Bilateral meeting at the United Nations

The travel blockages coincided with high-level diplomatic activity in New York, where interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez met US President Donald Trump on 22 September 2026. The meeting occurred on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, marking the first formal bilateral discussion between the two leaders since Rodriguez took power. Trump was joined by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and senior adviser Stephen Miller. While neither delegation disclosed the detailed contents of the discussion, the US administration has prioritised access to Venezuelan oil reserves and the revival of underground resource development.

Disputed US role and earthquake response

The political shift in Caracas originated with a January 2026 US military operation that resulted in more than 100 fatalities and the capture of former President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. Relations between Washington and Caracas evolved as Rodriguez established authority, creating complications for the Venezuelan opposition. Following two earthquakes that struck Venezuela on 24 June 2026, Machado attempted to return from Panama City to deliver humanitarian assistance, but the Venezuelan government closed commercial airspace on 29 June 2026. Although reports suggested US officials privately advised Machado against returning during relief operations to avoid complicating disaster management, the State Department publicly denied preventing her entry.

Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics Cartwright Weiland addressed the matter during a congressional hearing on 15 July 2026.

“She is a Venezuelan citizen and has the right to return.”

Background of exile and return efforts

Machado had spent nearly a year in hiding following Venezuela's contested 2024 presidential election before leaving the country clandestinely in December 2025. Her initial journey to Oslo, Norway, was intended for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, though travel delays resulted in her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, accepting the medal on her behalf. Machado has repeatedly pledged to return to Venezuela to resume active domestic political leadership.