Venezuela US Envoy

This photo released by Venezuela's presidential press office shows Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, right, shaking hands with Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump's special envoy, at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. Behind is Jorge Rodriguez, president of the National Assembly.

CARACAS, Venezuela — Six Americans who had been detained in Venezuela in recent months were freed by the government of President Nicolás Maduro after he met Friday with a Trump administration official tasked with urging the authoritarian leader to take back deported migrants who have committed crimes in the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, announced the release of the six men on social media. The visit by came as a shock to many Venezuelans who hoped Trump would continue the “maximum pressure†campaign he pursued against Maduro during his first term.

Trip focused on deporting Venezuelans and release of Americans

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