Trump envoy announces after meeting with Maduro that Venezuela has released six Americans

Six Americans held in Venezuela were released Friday and returned to the United States with US President Donald Trump’s envoy after an extraordinary meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who called for a new beginning in relations between Caracas and Washington.

“We’re going home with these six American citizens,” US envoy Richard Grenell wrote on X, posting a photo of himself on his plane surrounded by six unidentified men.

Trump’s special envoy was responsible for demanding that Caracas accept the unconditional return of Venezuelans expelled from the United States and obtain the release of American hostages held in Venezuela.

“I was just informed that we are bringing back six hostages from Venezuela,” the US president wrote on social media. “Great job!”

“Maduro and Grenell, whose handshake was broadcast on television without sound, discussed migrations, the negative impact of economic sanctions, US citizens involved in crimes on national territory, and the integrity of the Venezuelan political system,” according to a Venezuelan statement.

“Let’s move to a new beginning in historical relations, where what needs to be corrected will be corrected and what needs to be done will be accomplished,” Maduro commented in the evening at the opening ceremony of the judicial year.

“I can say that this was positive… There are issues on which we have reached preliminary agreements, and we hope that new topics will open up for new agreements, in the interest of both countries,” he added, without mentioning the releases.

“We’ll be very vigilant to make sure that what was discussed is fully in line with what was agreed upon,” he warned, adding, “From Bolivarian Venezuela, we say to President Donald Trump, We’ve taken a first step, we hope it will continue, and we want it to continue”.

“The American hostages” being held in Venezuela “must be released immediately,” Mauricio Claver-Caron, the State Department’s point man for Latin America, told reporters before Grenell arrived in Caracas.

“The Maduro government — the Maduro regime — in Venezuela must take the special envoy into consideration or face the consequences,” he urged.

“The United States and President Trump expect Nicolas Maduro to unconditionally take back the Venezuelan criminals and gang members who were exported to the United States,” Claver-Caron stressed.

For his part, Venezuelan Communications Minister Freddy Náñez confirmed on Telegram that Maduro, who was recently sworn in for a third term, had agreed to meet with the US envoy.

The Trump administration has revoked the extension of Temporary Protected Status for more than 600,000 Venezuelans in the United States, a status that protected them from deportation.

Former President Joe Biden extended the temporary protected status for these Venezuelans for 18 months, days before Trump arrived at the White House.