Trump Secures Release of 6 Americans from Venezuela as Maduro Accepts Deportees
President Donald Trump celebrated the release of 6 American hostages from Venezuelan prisons on Saturday as part of a deal in which Venezuela's president Nicolás Maduro has agreed to accept deported Venezuelans who entered the United States illegally.
“It is so good to have the Venezuela Hostages back home, and, very important to note, that Venezuela has agreed to receive, back into their Country, all Venezuela illegal aliens who were encamped in the U.S.,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
White House envoy Richard Grenell, who negotiated the deal, flew back to the US along with the six Americans following his visit to Caracas, where he met with Maduro at the presidential palace to finalize the agreement.
“We are wheels up and headed home with these 6 American citizens. They just spoke to
@realDonaldTrump and they couldn’t stop thanking him,” Grenell wrote in a post on X that included a photo of himself and the freed American citizens.
We are wheels up and headed home with these 6 American citizens.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) February 1, 2025
They just spoke to @realDonaldTrump and they couldn’t stop thanking him. pic.twitter.com/sCvCO4HQQv
Per The Christian Post, Grenell’s visit to Venezuela marks the first time a high-ranking U.S. representative set foot in the South American country after Washington ended its official diplomatic presence in Caracas in 2019.
The negotiations were a success after previously falling through under the Biden administration, in which Maduro blocked deportation flights.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the deal also allows U.S.-based oil companies to remain in Venezuela under existing sanctions exemptions.
Venezuelan officials will arrange the logistics of the deportation flights, which are expected to include a variety of migrants, including members of violent criminal organizations like the Tren de Aragua.
In recent years, roughly 8 million Venezuelans have fled the country, with hundreds of thousands settling in the U.S.
Negotiations regarding the detainees reportedly began prior to Trump’s election victory last November and Grenell met privately with Venezuelan contacts last year.
Photo Credit: ©X/Richard Grenell
Originally published February 03, 2025.
