CARACAS, Feb 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Donald Trump’s envoy Richard Grenell said he was headed back to the United States with six American citizens, a surprise development after he met with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas.
Officials from the Trump administration had said that one of Grenell’s top aims for the visit was to secure the release of Americans detained in the country, at a time when the Trump administration has been driving a deportation and anti-gang push in the United States.
Grenell did not name the six men, shown with him aboard an airplane in a photo he posted online. They were dressed in light blue outfits used by the Venezuelan prison system.
Trump cheered the move in his own post, saying Grenell was bringing “six hostages home from Venezuela.”
It is unclear exactly how many Americans were being held by Venezuela, but Venezuelan officials have spoken publicly of at least nine.
Maduro’s officials have accused most of them of terrorism and said some were high-level “mercenaries.” The Venezuelan government regularly accuses members of the opposition and foreign detainees of conspiring with the U.S. to commit terrorism. U.S. officials have always denied any plots.
In late 2023, Venezuela’s government released dozens of prisoners, including 10 Americans, after months of negotiations, while the U.S. released a close ally of Maduro.
Maduro told officials in an annual speech to the judiciary late on Friday evening that the meeting between him and Grenell had been positive.
“There are things where we’ve reached initial deals and when they are complied with, new issues will open, hopefully new deals for the good of the two countries and the region,” Maduro said, adding he would be looking to see if what had been discussed with Grenell was reflected in what is communicated by the U.S. about the meeting.
“President Donald Trump, we have made a first step, hopefully it can continue,” Maduro said. “We would like it to continue.”
Maduro and Grenell also discussed migration and sanctions at the presidential palace, the Venezuelan government said in a statement earlier on Friday.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier on Friday that Grenell was also focused on ensuring 400 members of the Tren de Aragua gang in U.S. custody are returned to Venezuela.
An agreement on Tren de Aragua deportations was “non-negotiable,” Claver-Carone said.
Venezuelan attorney general Tarek Saab said last week that the gang had been dismantled in Venezuela in 2023, but that it was willing to restart legal cooperation with the U.S. in order to extradite gang members.
Since taking power on Jan. 20, Trump has kicked off a sweeping immigration crackdown, pledging mass deportations.
Some 600,000 Venezuelans in the United States were eligible for deportation reprieves granted by the previous administration, but U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she would cut the duration of the protections. She must decide by Saturday whether to terminate them.
Grenell’s visit does not mean the United States recognizes Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader, Leavitt said.
Maduro’s victory in the July 2024 vote is contested by the opposition, international observers and numerous countries, including the United States. — NNN-AGENCIES
