Trump Announces the Return of American Hostages from Venezuela
On Saturday, former President Donald Trump announced the successful return of American hostages who had been detained in Venezuela. This development followed a visit from a U.S. envoy to the South American nation.
Trump shared the news via his Truth Social account, revealing that his administration had finalized an agreement with Venezuela to repatriate its citizens, including individuals involved in gang activities, who were residing illegally in the United States.
“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., including gang members of Tren de Aragua. Venezuela has further agreed to supply the transportation back,” Trump stated.
He further emphasized, “We are in the process of removing record numbers of illegal aliens from all Countries, and all Countries have agreed to accept these illegal aliens back. Furthermore, record numbers of criminals are being removed from our Country, and the Border numbers are the strongest they have been since the First Term of the Trump Administration!”
According to CNN, Richard Grenell, Trump’s envoy for special missions, had recently met with officials from the Maduro administration. Following this meeting, Grenell posted on X, “We are wheels up and headed home with these six American citizens. They just spoke to President Trump, and they couldn’t stop thanking him,” accompanied by a photo featuring himself and the released hostages.
The release of these prisoners occurred after Grenell's discussions with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, reportedly focused on the repatriation of Venezuelan nationals from the U.S. Although Trump has prioritized mass deportations as part of his campaign agenda, Maduro had previously resisted accepting Venezuelan deportees due to strained diplomatic ties.
CNN noted, “Gonzalez, who the US recognizes as Venezuela’s president-elect and who attended Trump’s inauguration, has warned the White House against cutting a deal with Maduro on deportation flights.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s administration is actively working to deport migrants who had been temporarily allowed to stay in the U.S. under the Biden administration’s parole programs. A memo signed on Thursday by the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement outlined new directives for expedited deportations, extending powers that were previously limited to specific border encounters during the Biden-Harris era, as reported by The New York Times.
The memo also appears to grant officials the authority to remove individuals from two key Biden-era initiatives. “Those programs—an app called CBP One that migrants could use to try to schedule appointments to enter the United States, and an initiative that let in certain migrants fleeing Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Haiti—were key pillars of the Biden administration’s efforts to discourage illegal entries by allowing certain legal pathways,” the report stated.
Concerns have been raised by immigrant advocates regarding the potential impact of these changes on Afghan and Ukrainian immigrants admitted under separate humanitarian programs.
According to The Times, “The decision indicates that President Trump will try to use every facet of the immigration enforcement apparatus to crack down on a system he has long said has been abused and that he intends to target not just those who sneaked across the border but even those who followed previously authorized pathways to enter.”
Migrants from high-risk countries, who were granted temporary legal status under a two-year “parole” period, may now face expedited deportation under the new guidelines. Republicans have criticized Biden’s immigration programs, arguing that they serve as quasi-legal mechanisms facilitating illegal entry, with around 1.4 million migrants having accessed these programs during Biden’s tenure.