Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado blocked from entering country 3 times in 24 hours, team says

September 23, 2026 / 5:54 AM EDT / CBS/AFP

Caracas — Venezuela's opposition leader, 2025 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Maria Corina Machado, was prevented from returning to the South American country from her exile in Panama, a source from her political party told AFP on Tuesday. Machado is considered a fugitive by the Venezuelan government, which accuses her of calling for military intervention against the country.

She has been unable to return to Venezuela since being covertly sneaked out of the country in December by a private U.S. rescue team to accept her Nobel Prize in Norway.

"During the last 24 hours, María Corina Machado has been denied entry into Venezuela three times," the politician's senior adviser David Smolansky said in a statement shared with CBS News' Margaret Brennan and other journalists early Wednesday morning. "She has attempted to enter the country by air and sea but has been turned away each time."

The opposition leader has made several failed attempts to return to her home country, including during the aftermath of the devastating June 24 double earthquakes.

The latest instances come as Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez met with President Trump on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/