US envoy leaves Venezuela with six Americans after meeting Maduro, Donald Trump says, ‘Great job!’

Donald Trump's envoy, Richard Grenell, said on Friday that he was returning to the US with six American citizens following a surprise meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.

As reported by Reuters, prior to the visit, Trump administration officials had stated that one of Grenell’s main objectives was to negotiate the release of Americans held in Venezuela, amidst the administration’s ongoing efforts to intensify deportation and anti-gang measures in the U.S.

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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, Reuters reported.

"We are wheels up and headed home with these 6 American citizens," Grenell posted on X. “They just spoke to @realDonaldTrump and they couldn't stop thanking him.”

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 about at least nine.

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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. US officials have always denied any plots.

“American hostages that are being held in Venezuela ... must be released immediately,” Mauricio Claver-Carone, the U.S. special envoy for Latin America, said earlier on Friday, adding the Grenell-Maduro meeting was “not a negotiation in exchange for anything.”

Elections and Migrants

The administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden reinstated broad oil sanctions after it said Maduro failed to keep promises for a free presidential election and later increased rewards for the capture or conviction of leaders including Maduro, leaving Trump limited options for further penalties.

Maduro's government-backed victory in the July 2024 vote is contested by the opposition, international observers and numerous countries, including the United States.

Maduro's government has always rejected sanctions by the United States and others, saying they are illegitimate measures which amount to an “economic war” designed to cripple Venezuela.

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At the same time, Trump has initiated a broad immigration crackdown, promising mass deportations.

Around 600,000 Venezuelans in the U.S. had received deportation protections under the Biden administration, but U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced plans to shorten the duration of these protections, with a decision on whether to end them due by Saturday.