Six Americans detained in Venezuela in recent months have been released after President Nicolás Maduro met Friday with President Trump’s special envoy, Richard Grenell, who was sent to push for the repatriation of Venezuelan migrants convicted of crimes in the U.S.
President Trump and Richard Grenell announced the release on social media. Grenell’s visit took many Venezuelans by surprise, as some had expected Trump to maintain the “maximum pressure” strategy he pursued against Maduro during his first term.
According to the White House, Grenell’s brief trip focused on Trump’s efforts to deport Venezuelans, a process hindered by Venezuela’s refusal to accept them, as well as securing the release of the detained Americans.
Venezuelan state television aired footage of Grenell meeting with Maduro at the Miraflores Palace, stating that the meeting had been requested by the U.S. government.
In 2020, Grenell and Erik Prince, the founder of security firm Blackwater, traveled to Mexico City for a secret meeting with a senior Maduro aide. Those backchannel talks centered on a potential swap of eight Americans then imprisoned in Venezuela for businessman Alex Saab, a close Maduro ally facing U.S. money laundering charges. The exchange happened in 2023. Saab was named industry minister of Venezuela last October.
