Ecuador begins deportation of four Venezuelans after social media video

Ecuador has begun deportation proceedings against four Venezuelan delivery workers after a video showed them discussing a newly approved law regulating delivery services.

In the recording, the men laugh while commenting on the legislation. One of them says, “If they deport me, I’ll come back and keep working as a delivery driver.” Interior Minister John Reimberg shared the video on X on Sunday, then posted another recording showing the four men alongside migration police. That video carries his warning: “No one is above the law.” It ends with the word “Deported.”

A source at the Interior Ministry told EFE that the men face deportation proceedings because of an alleged “threat or risk to security.” The source also said two of them have other immigration issues. Two allegedly entered Ecuador through an unauthorized crossing, while another had not regularized his immigration status since 2018. The ministry said those circumstances are among the reasons provided for in law to initiate the process.

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If they deport me, I’ll come back and keep working as a delivery driver.

The four men had public or private lawyers and took part in the relevant hearing. Authorities expect to transfer them to Venezuela on a flight Tuesday. They are not detained, the ministry source said, but remain under supervision in the inadmissible passengers’ area at Guayaquil airport while the procedure is carried out. They receive food there, and the ministry said their immigration status has been resolved.

The case follows the National Assembly’s approval of amendments to transport, traffic and road-safety rules. Passed last Thursday with 87 votes, the reform includes regulations for home delivery and provisions covering micromobility vehicles such as scooters. It also creates a national register for delivery workers and makes registration mandatory for people who want to provide the service.

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No one is above the law.