CARACAS, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday urged the U.S. government to cease persecution and infringement on the rights of Venezuelan migrants.

Condemning the detention and deportation of 240 Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador as an act of "cruelty" and "injustice," Maduro said the deportations were carried out in a "humiliating" manner without due process.

Last weekend, the U.S. administration deported nearly 300 individuals it identified as members of the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang, invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 against TdA and claiming that the United States was facing an "invasion" from this "foreign terrorist organization."

The wartime act allows for the deportation of any migrant it identifies as a member of the gang without going through regular immigration proceedings.

"We will not rest until these innocent young people return to Venezuela," said Maduro.

The Venezuelan government on Saturday announced plans to resume direct repatriation flights for deported Venezuelan migrants from the United States. ■