CARACAS, July 1, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Venezuela on Monday accused the United States of "kidnapping" 18 Venezuelan children whose migrant parents were deported without them or placed in custody.

Parliament speaker Jorge Rodriguez said the children were aged between 1 and 12 and that in many cases their parents had already arrived back in Venezuela.

He did not say at what stage they were separated from their parents.

He claimed they had been "kidnapped by the United States" government and said he was working with President Donald Trump's administration on securing their return to Venezuela.

"Not only have they committed no crime, their mothers, many of whom are here, and their fathers have also committed no crime to merit the brutal punishment of being separated from their daughter, son, grandson or granddaughter," he added.

Although Venezuela broke off ties with the United States in 2019 it has agreed to receive migrants sent home on US deportation flights.

In April, Caracas accused Washington of abducting a toddler, whose parents were deported from the United States without her.

Her mother was sent home to Venezuela and her father to a notorious prison in El Salvador.

The US Department of Homeland Security said Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Bernal was placed in foster care to protect her from her parents, who it claimed were members of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua crime gang.

She was sent home in May on a deportation flight and reunited with her mother.

Venezuela is also campaigning for the return of over 200 Venezuelan migrants who were expelled from the United States to the maximum security CECOT prison in El Salvador.