President Trump on Saturday celebrated the release of six Americans from Venezuelan prisons under a new deal with President Nicolás Maduro. As part of the agreement, Maduro will accept deported Venezuelans who entered the United States illegally, meeting one of Trump’s major immigration objectives.
“It is so good to have the Venezuela Hostages back home, and, very important to note, that Venezuela has agreed to receive, back into their Country, all Venezuela illegal aliens who were encamped in the U.S.,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The freed American citizens were flown to the United States alongside White House envoy Richard Grenell on Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported.
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“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.
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
The deal was reached during Grenell’s visit to Caracas, where he met with Maduro at the presidential palace, said the Journal, citing anonymous officials. Maduro had previously blocked deportation flights after discussions with the Biden administration collapsed, but changed course as part of Friday’s terms.
The shift comes shortly after the Trump administration ended protections for Venezuelans who arrived in the U.S. under an earlier program, making many subject to removal proceedings as soon as April.
Washington ended its official diplomatic presence in Caracas in 2019, but Grenell’s trip marked the first time a high-ranking U.S. representative had set foot in Venezuela since then.
Grenell told the media there were no financial offers made to Maduro, apart from possible improvements in diplomatic relations.
The deportation flights are likely to cover a wide range of individuals, including some belonging to violent criminal groups, including members of the Tren de Aragua, with Venezuelan authorities organizing the logistics of the transfers.
An estimated 8 million Venezuelans have fled their country in recent years, with hundreds of thousands settling in the U.S.
The deal will allow U.S.-based oil companies to stay in Venezuela under existing sanctions exemptions, according to the Journal, which cited sources as saying that Trump would reduce demands for immediate political changes, though Maduro still faces multiple indictments in the U.S. on drug trafficking and corruption charges.
During the Venezuela trip, Grenell was accompanied by State Department officials, traveling on a military aircraft provided at Trump’s direction.
He was summoned to the Oval Office a day before flying out and instructed to secure the release of American detainees.
After Maduro and Grenell finalized the agreement at the presidential palace, Venezuelan authorities brought the six Americans to Grenell at the airport, where they were reportedly bound and hooded.
Grenell said he traveled under direct orders from the president and Vice President J.D. Vance, who summoned him to the Oval Office the day before he flew to Caracas.
Negotiations for the return of the detainees reportedly began before Trump won back the White House in November and involved quiet coordination with Maduro’s top negotiator. The efforts gained momentum when Grenell met privately with Venezuelan contacts last year, setting the stage for the sudden breakthrough announced Saturday.
