CARACAS, May 14 (Xinhua) -- A two-year-old Venezuelan girl, who had been held by the United States government after it deported her mother, returned Wednesday to Venezuela, where she was received by authorities of the South American country.

Maikelys Espinoza was taken from her mother's arms just before she was deported, in an incident that Venezuelan officials described as a "kidnapping."

The toddler returned to Venezuela on a U.S.-registered plane that landed at the the Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, which serves the capital Caracas, along with 226 Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States, including seven minors and 37 women.

Venezuelan First Lady Cilia Flores thanked the people for their solidarity with the minor, noting that the government "remained firm" in demanding her return.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said her return was "a great victory," adding she "should never have been separated from her parents," and the United States government should "recognize the mistakes it has made."

Since February, flights repatriating Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States have increased. ■