President Donald Trump’s envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, has traveled to Venezuela to deliver an in-person message to socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro about accepting violent criminals deported from the United States.
On a call with reporters Friday, Mauricio Claver-Carone, the U.S. special envoy to Latin America, said Grenell will tell Maduro to take back all the Venezuelan criminals and Tren de Aragua gang members that have been “exported to the United States, and to do so unequivocally and without condition.”
Grenell will also demand that Venezuela immediately release American hostages being held in that country, Claver-Carone said.
Ric Grenell, former Acting Director of National Intelligence speaks on Day 3 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 17, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
The trip “focuses on two very specific issues. That we expect that Venezuelan criminals and gangs will be returned, as they are, to every country in the world, without conditions, and two, that American hostages need to be released immediately, unequivocally,” he explained.
“This is not a quid pro quo. It’s not a negotiation in exchange for anything. President Trump himself has made that very clear.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Friday that Grenell had arrived in Venezuela on orders from the president.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro holds a news conference at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, July 31, 2024, three days after his disputed reelection. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Despite widespread belief among Venezuelans and much of the international community that Maduro lost the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election to opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, he was sworn into his third six-year term earlier this month.
The U.S. does not recognize Maduro as the legitimate head of state of Venezuela.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado has called on Venezuelan citizens to protest the Maduro regime and demand that González be installed as the rightful president of Venezuela.
Still image from social media video shows suspected juvenile Tren de Aragua members based out of the Roosevelt Hotel, who have allegedly been attacking nearby Times Square in a string of robberies. (Obtained by New York Post)
As many as 10 Americans are currently detained in Venezuela, although the State Department has not declared them wrongfully detained. Three are U.S. citizens who allegedly participated in a plot to destabilize the country, according to Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.
The State Department has denied any U.S. involvement with a plot to overthrow Maduro.
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It remains unclear how many Americans are currently held in Venezuela following the significant prisoner swap in 2023 when Washington and Caracas negotiated the release of dozens of prisoners, including 10 Americans, in exchange for Colombian businessman Alex Saab, a close ally of Maduro.
Saab was arrested during the first Trump administration on charges related to a $350 million bribery scheme.
The Trump administration is ramping up pressure on the Maduro regime in Venezuela by sending a high-ranking official to the country to push for the extradition of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang members. The gang, known for its brutal tactics and involvement in drug trafficking, has long been a thorn in the side of Venezuelan authorities.
The official, who has not been named for security reasons, is expected to meet with top government officials in Caracas to discuss the extradition of the gang members to the United States. The Trump administration has accused the Maduro regime of harboring and protecting criminal organizations like the Tren de Aragua in exchange for their support.
The move is part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to increase pressure on the Maduro regime and crack down on criminal organizations operating in Venezuela. The Tren de Aragua is just one of many gangs causing chaos and violence in the country, and the Trump administration is determined to see them brought to justice.
Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story as the Trump official makes their way to Venezuela and pushes for the Maduro regime to take back the Tren de Aragua gang members.
Tags:
- Trump administration
- Venezuela crisis
- Maduro regime
- Tren de Aragua
- Gang members
- Political intervention
- US foreign policy
- Latin America
- Diplomatic efforts
- International relations
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