Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, has threatened to stop selling oil to European countries if they implement tough new legislation against illegal immigrants.
The move follows the EU parliament's new guidelines in which illegal migrants can be held in detention centres for up to 18 months before being expelled.
In a televised speech in Venezuela on Wednesday, Chavez said the guidelines showed "signs of fascism" and said countries would have to "build concentration camps" to hold immigrants.
"Any European country that applies this directive ... well we won't cut off ties but it's simple, at the very least, our oil will not reach these countries," he said.