Grenell announced the release on X, posting a photo of the freed Americans, four of whom were dressed in Venezuelan prison outfits.
“We are wheels up and headed home with these 6 American citizens,” Grenell wrote. “They just spoke to Donald Trump and they couldn’t stop thanking him.”
Earlier on Friday, Mauricio Claver-Carone, the US special envoy on Latin America, told reporters, “American hostages need to be released immediately, unequivocally." He emphasized that "this is not a quid pro quo. It’s not a negotiation in exchange for anything. Trump himself has made that very clear."
In a statement, the Venezuelan government described the meeting at the presidential palace as one of “mutual respect and diverse issues of interest to both countries were discussed.” The two spoke about a range of topics including migration, sanctions, and the detained Americans, according to a report by CNN.
Trump celebrated the news, posting, “Just been informed that we are bringing six hostages home from Venezuela. Thank you to Ric Grenell and my entire staff. Great job!”
Speaking from the Oval Office on Friday, Trump reaffirmed his opposition to the Maduro regime, stating that he is a “very big opponent of Venezuela and Maduro.” According to Fox News, the President added, "They’ve treated us not so good. But they’ve treated, more importantly, the Venezuelan people very badly.”
Grenell’s visit coincided with US efforts to push Maduro to accept the return of deported Venezuelan migrants, particularly members of the Tren de Aragua gang. Claver-Carone stressed that the deportations must happen “without conditions” and are “non-negotiable.”
This follows a recent dispute between the US and Colombia, where Colombia initially refused to accept deported nationals arriving on US military flights. However, Colombian President Gustavo Petro quickly caved after Trump threatened tariffs and sanctions unless Colombia complied and assisted the US with the deportations.
