Meet With President Maduro, Trump's Envoy Makes Sure To Bring Home 6 US Citizens Detained In Venezuela

US President Donald Trump's envoy, Richard Grenell (white shirt) with US citizens released from Venezuelan custody/PHOTO via X @RichardGrenell

JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump's envoy, Richard Grenell, confirmed that he would return to the United States with six American nationals detained in Venezuela.

This is a surprising development after Grenell met Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas.

Officials from the Trump administration said one of the main goals of Grenell's visit was to ensure the release of Americans detained in the country.

Reported by Reuters on Saturday, February 1, Grenell did not name the six men. They wore light blue clothes used by Venezuelan prison systems.

"We went and went home with these 6 American citizens," Grenell wrote on X. "They just spoke to @realDonaldTrump and they couldn't stop thanking him."

Trump backed the move in his own post, saying Grenell brought home "six hostages from Venezuela."

It is unclear exactly how many Americans Venezuela has detained, but Venezuelan officials have spoken publicly about at least nine Americans being detained.

Maduro officials accused most of them of terrorism and said some of them were "high-level mercenaries".

The Venezuelan government often accuses opposition and foreign prisoners of conspiring with the US to commit terrorism. Meanwhile US officials denied any plans.

"American hostages detained in Venezuela must be released immediately," said Mauricio Claver-Carone, US special envoy to Latin America.

He called the Grenell-Maduro meeting a "not a negotiated exchange for anything."

By the end of 2023, the Venezuelan government released dozens of detainees, including 10 Americans, after months of negotiations, while the US released a close ally of Maduro.

Maduro told officials in his annual speech before the court on Friday evening that the meeting between him and Grenell was positive.

"There are several things that we have achieved in the initial agreement and when the agreement is obeyed, new problems will open up, hopefully this new agreement will be for the good of both countries and the region," said Maduro.

"President Donald Trump, we have taken the first step, hopefully it can continue," Maduro said. "We want this to continue," he continued.

Maduro and Grenell also discussed migration and sanctions at the presidential palace.

Earlier, White House press secretary Krypto Leavitt said Grenell was also focused on ensuring that the 400 members of the US detained Tren de Aragua gang were returned to Venezuela.

The deal on the deportation of Tren de Aragua is "unnegotiable," Claver-Carone said.

Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek Saab said last week the gang had been dissolved in Venezuela in 2023, but it was willing to restart legal cooperation with the US to extradite the gang members.

Since taking power on January 20, Trump began a crackdown on immigration and promised mass deportation.

About 600,000 Venezuelans in the United States are eligible for a suspension of deportation granted by the previous administration, but US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said he would reduce the period of protection.