Richard Grenell, President Trump’s envoy for special missions, said on social media that he was flying home from Venezuela with six American detainees on Friday, after meeting with the country’s president.
There were at least nine people with U.S. citizenship or residency detained in Venezuela, according to Venezuelan officials. The government had accused some of them of plotting to kill the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.
“Just been informed that we are bringing six hostages home from Venezuela,” Mr. Trump said on social media. “Thank you to Ric Grenell and my entire staff. Great job!”
The United States has no diplomatic presence in Venezuela, and the U.S. government was not even sure where its citizens were being held, a State Department representative said this month.
Relatives of three detained U.S. citizens said they had gotten very little information from the American government and had not heard from their loved ones for months since they had disappeared.
David Estrella, 64, who worked in quality control for pharmaceutical companies in New Jersey, was among those released, according to his family.
“After such horrible moments that we and David have suffered unjustly, we look forward to welcoming him home and taking care of him until he fully recovers and leaves all this unfortunate incident behind him,” said Elvia Macias, Mr. Estrella’s former wife and close friend. He had entered Venezuela from Colombia to visit friends, Ms. Macias said.
Mr. Maduro, an autocrat whose country has seen an extraordinary exodus in recent years, has become increasingly isolated on the global stage, accused of having stolen the last presidential election in July. The United States has recognized the opposition candidate as the legitimate winner.
After the disputed elections, Mr. Maduro started rounding up foreign prisoners, a move that former. U.S. diplomats and analysts said they saw as seeking bargaining chips to use with other nations.
Mr. Trump’s foreign policy team includes many aides who support taking a hard line against Mr. Maduro, and policy experts said the Venezuelan leader most likely feared that Washington would take a tougher stance, including potentially imposing more economic sanctions.
Mr. Maduro, who has spent his entire tenure blaming Venezuela’s economic woes on U.S. imperialism, talked about starting a new era of engagement with the United States in televised remarks on Friday. He did not directly refer to the released Americans.
“We are starting a new beginning of historical relations where what needs to be done will be done and what needs to be rectified will be rectified,” he said. “We love and admire the people of the United States.”
Mr. Maduro also referred to his meeting with Mr. Grenell as “frank, direct, open and positive” and said: “We are not anti-American nor have we ever been anti-American. We are anti-imperialist, which is different.”
But Mauricio Claver-Carone, the U.S. special envoy for Latin America, said in a call with journalists on Friday morning that Mr. Grenell would not make any concessions in exchange for releasing American detainees.
“This is not a quid pro quo,” he said. “It’s not a negotiation in exchange for anything.” He urged the Maduro government to “heed” to Mr. Grenell’s demands “because ultimately there will be consequences otherwise.”
Julie Turkewitz contributed reporting from Santander, Colombia.
