in Venezuela, United States

Six U.S. Citizens Freed in Venezuela Following Secret Talks

The government of Nicolás Maduro released six American citizens this Friday who had been detained in Venezuela for the past few months. The decision came after a meeting between Maduro and Richard Grenell, a senior official close to former President Donald Trump.

The main goal of the meeting was to negotiate the possibility of Venezuela accepting the deportation of Venezuelan migrants with criminal records in the United States, something the Maduro government has rejected so far.

Trump and Grenell confirm the release

Former President Donald Trump and his special envoy Richard Grenell announced the news on their social media. Grenell’s visit surprised many Venezuelans, as they expected Trump to continue his “maximum pressure” strategy against Maduro, as he did during his first term.

According to the White House, Grenell’s visit to Caracas had two key objectives:

  • Negotiate the deportation of Venezuelans with criminal records in the U.S.
  • Secure the release of American citizens imprisoned in Venezuela.

After the meeting, Grenell posted a photo aboard a plane with the released individuals and wrote on the social network X:

“We are wheels up and headed home with these six Americans.”

He also mentioned that the released men spoke with Donald Trump and thanked him greatly for his support.

A tense political context

This meeting in Caracas took place less than a month after Maduro assumed a new six-year term, despite allegations of fraud in the presidential elections. Washington and several Western governments do not recognize the election results. Instead, they cite opposition records indicating that opposition candidate Edmundo González had obtained more than twice as many votes as Maduro.

The Venezuelan migration crisis

Since 2013, more than 7.7 million Venezuelans have left the country due to economic and political turmoil. While most have settled in Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of Venezuelan migrants trying to reach the United States has increased in recent years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other failed negotiation attempts

This was not the first time Grenell attempted to secure the release of Americans detained in Venezuela. In 2020, he traveled to Mexico City alongside Erik Prince, founder of the security firm Blackwater, for a secret meeting with a Maduro advisor.

According to reports from The Associated Press, during that meeting, the Venezuelan government proposed exchanging eight detained Americans for Álex Saab, Venezuela’s current Minister of Industries. However, the deal fell apart when Grenell demanded Maduro’s resignation, something Venezuela completely rejected.

Grenell has denied attempting a prisoner exchange at that time.

Biden’s prisoner swap

Years later, in December 2023, President Joe Biden successfully negotiated a prisoner exchange with Venezuela. As part of a rapprochement with Maduro ahead of the presidential elections, the United States released Álex Saab in exchange for 10 Americans.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings

The White House Reveals the Mission of Its Special Envoy to Venezuela

Venezuelans at Risk: Trump Ends Temporary Protected Status (TPS)