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Trump's envoy brings back home 6 US hostages from Caracas

Grenell brought back six former US hostages whose identities were not disclosed

After meeting with Venezuelan ruler Nicolás Maduro, US President Donald Trump's envoy to Caracas Richard Grenell boarded his flight back home alongside six Americans who had been held hostage by the Bolivarian regime.

“We are wheels up and headed home with these 6 American citizens. They just spoke to @realDonaldTrump and they couldn’t stop thanking him,” Grenell wrote on X, although their identities were not disclosed.

Read also: Trump’s envoy delivers stern warning to Maduro in Caracas as US flag displayed in Miraflores

“Just been informed that we are bringing six hostages home from Venezuela. Thank you to Ric Grenell and my entire staff. Great job!” Trump posted.

We are wheels up and headed home with these 6 American citizens.

They just spoke to @realDonaldTrump and they couldn’t stop thanking him. pic.twitter.com/sCvCO4HQQv

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) February 1, 2025

In the meantime, Washington insisted Friday that it would not recognize Maduro as president following the controversial July 28, 2024, elections which the opposition claims to have won.

Although Grenell's mission was not revealed, it turned out that, as predicted by most outlets, he would be seeking the release of the US citizens kept in Venezuelan jails, as well as persuading Caracas to accept deportation flights for undocumented migrants.

According to the Miami-based Independent Venezuelan American Citizens (IVAC), there were eight U.S. citizens imprisoned in Venezuela, most of them since 2024, which would match data from the NGO Foro Penal.

During his meeting with Grenell, Maduro advocated for a “new beginning in the relations” with the United States and insisted on an “Agenda Zero” proposal to rebuild bridges. On the other hand, US special envoy for Latin America Mauricio Claver-Carone assured reporters that the meeting between Grenell and Maduro “does not change” Washington's priorities regarding Venezuela while recalling that Trump had the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua drug cartel a terrorist organization.

Although the full scope of the understanding between Grenell and Maduro remains unclear, the Chavista leader who was sworn in for a third term on Jan. 10, said earlier this week that he hoped Washington would extradite former National Assembly Speaker Juan Guaidó, who was appointed interim President of Venezuela in a move that eventually waned away.

”Juan Guaidó fled to Miami and is enjoying the billions of dollars that were stolen (...) Here he has his cell ready and I hope he will be handed over to me very soon. We are making the arrangements (...),” Maduro said on Venezuelan TV (VTV). Guaidó has been in exile since April 2023 after Attorney General Tarek William Saab had an arrest warrant issued against him for money laundering, usurpation of functions, and treason.