A month after the Venezuelan government closed key border crossing areas to the neighboring nation of Colombia, the socialist country has announced that Colombians who were deported during the initial crackdown will be allowed to return.

As Reuters reports, President Nicolás Maduro will allow 1,500 deported Colombians back into Venezuela with legalize status.

The 12-country Union of South American Nations has released a statement explaining that Maduro has agreed to allow the deported Colombians back after meeting with former Colombian President Ernesto Samper on the sidelines of the recent United Nations General Assembly.

This easing of political tensions between the two Latin American countries comes a week after Maduro and current Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos agreed to restore ambassadors to their respective embassies.

Venezuela closed the border crossings after three army officers were attacked while patrolling the border town of San Antonio. Maduro has since insisted that he had to close the border and deploy troops due to the massive smuggling operation that was taking place in the area.

“We have reached the limit of the aggression by armed groups, of the speculators and smugglers," Maduro said in August, according to the Guardian.

The 1,400-mile long border is porous and has always allowed Colombians and Venezuelans to cross easily.

Maduro’s border closing action has been seen by critics as a scapegoating strategy aimed at distracting attention away from the economic failures of his administration. In the past, Maduro has voiced his suspicion of President Santos, accusing the Colombian leader of being part of a plan to overthrow his administration crafted by right-wing groups in Colombia and the United States.

The Colombian government has said it will do its best to find housing for those who were deported who now wish to stay in Colombia.