Mexico is dealing with a major increase in the number of Venezuelans fleeing the country’s economic woes, due both to people arriving on its southern border and thousands more being expelled from the US under a plan unveiled this month aimed at curbing migrant flows.

The plane, operated by Venezuela’s state airline, left Mexico City’s Felipe Angeles International Airport destined for Caracas, the sources said. One of the officials said the flight was set to carry about 100 Venezuelans paying a reduced fare of just over US$200.

The migrants on board the plane were in Mexico without proper documentation, according to the official.

A spokesperson for the airport said the flight departed at around 7.30pm, later than originally scheduled. It should arrive in Caracas in the early hours this morning, according to scheduling.

Under a bilateral plan announced on Oct 12, Washington said it would grant up to 24,000 Venezuelans humanitarian access to the US by air. It also enabled US officials to expel to Mexico those caught trying to cross illegally by land.

Mexican officials have said more flights could follow the first. One source said another plane was scheduled to depart the same airport today with some 300 Venezuelans on board.

Mexico’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for the National Migration Institute said they had no information. The Venezuelan embassy in Mexico could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Biden administration has come under pressure to curb illegal immigration after a record number of border crossings this year, fuelled in part by Venezuelans.