Update 2/1/25 – 2:40pm EST:
US envoy Richard Grenell returned to the US with six US citizens released from Venezuelan prisons.
The White House spokeswoman said two issues were on the agenda (the repatriation of Tren de Aragua gang members jailed in the US as well as the return of imprisoned US nationals”), the Venezuelan government issued a statement after the meeting, stating that several issues had been discussed.
“The meeting was held within the framework of mutual respect, addressing various issues of interest for both countries, including migration, the negative impact of economic sanctions against Venezuela, US citizens involved in criminal offenses within Venezuelan territory, and the integrity of Venezuela’s political system. The need to shift the course of relations was also reaffirmed,” reads part of the statement.
President Donald Trump’s crisis Envoy, Richard Grenell, traveled to Venezuela on Friday to meet with President Nicolas Maduro and discuss Caracas accepting migrants deported from the US.
Mauricio Claver-Carone, the US State Department special envoy for Latin America, said the discussions would not change Washington’s overall Venezuela policy. “President Trump expects Nicolás Maduro to take back all of the Venezuelan criminals and gang members that have been exported to [the] US, and to do so unequivocally and without condition.”
Trump recently revoked the special immigration status for Venezuelans that allowed them to remain in the US legally. Now that that has been removed, as many as 600,000 Venezuelans no longer have legal standing in the US, and they can be deported.
He continued, Grenell is in Venezuela on a “very specific mission” that in no way deviates from Trump’s goal of restoring democracy in the South American nation. Under the first Trump administration and during the Joe Biden presidency, Washington declared Maduro to have rigged elections and recognized opposition figures as the true Venezuelan presidents.
Claver-Carone said if Maduro does not comply with the demands that Grenell makes, Venezuela will face “consequences.” Trump recently threatened massive economic penalties on Colombia to force Bogota to accept deportation flights from the US.
However, Caracas is already under extensive sanctions from Washington. The Financial Times speculated that “a deal could involve an easing of US sanctions on Venezuela and dropping a US reward offered for Maduro’s capture in return for Caracas taking back thousands of [Venezuelan] migrants from the US, shipping more oil to American Gulf Coast refineries and releasing US nationals held in Caracas.”
While Claver-Carone said the talks with Maduro do not mean that the US is giving up on its goal of regime change in Venezuela, opening up trade with Caracas could help Trump as he seeks to exert economic leverage over Canada with tariffs. Tariffs on Ottoawa’s energy exports could lead to an increase in gas prices in the US.
Venezuela’s heavy crude is one of the few sources of oil that can replace what Canada’s supplies to the US. Many American refineries are built for heavy crude oil. Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly told the Financial Times, “We ship oil at a discount which is, ultimately, refined in Texas. If it’s not us, it is Venezuela. There’s no other option on the table, and this administration doesn’t want to work with Venezuela.”
In contrast to Claver-Carone, Grenell has suggested that diplomacy is possible with Venezuela. “[Trump] is President of the United States, again. And diplomacy is back,” Grenell posted on X on January 20th.”I’ve spoken to multiple officials in Venezuela today and will begin meetings early tomorrow morning. Talking is a tactic.”
Grenell’s posture has caused concern among Venezuela’s opposition figures. “Grenell’s nonchalance and lack of concern for democracy and human rights has left everyone very concerned,” one opposition politician told FT.
The Biden administration recognized Edmundo González Urrutia as the true president of Venezuela, claiming Maduro stole the 2024 election. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a call with González earlier this month and called him the “rightful president.”
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com and news editor of the Libertarian Institute. He hosts The Kyle Anzalone Show and is co-host of Conflicts of Interest with Connor Freeman.
Lets trade with Venezeula. Sending back illegals and opening trade will help their economy and bring in new skills. We will be sending back criminals but also people with skill sets and experience living in a democracy like America. This will help their country.
Lets buy their oil. Trump should tell Maduro he doesn't seek regime change and he will reign in Rubio. Maduro must commit to easing up on his harsher policies and open up his market to Western countries.
Trump has the skill set to end the vicous cycle of American and Venezeulan sreife.
Why would Venezuela want us to send them a bunch of criminals? They just got rid of them, they don't want them back. They might want they guys who tried to stage the last several failed coup attempts, but I rather doubt whether they're on the list.
experience living in a democracy like America
I don't think that the Venezuelans need people with experience in a pseudo-democracy, their government doesn't waste its resources on brainwashing the populace so they wouldn't have the need for an influx of people trained to be gullible.
If Rump's "100 Day Plan" for Ukraine is any example then we'll be lucky if Venezuela doesn't declare war on us. "Give us everything we want and in return we'll give you next to nothing." His normal "skill set" would entail immediately suing the other party when they turn down his oh-so-generous offer, but that's not going to work here.
I hope Venezuela is badly penalized for sending us their crooks. We need no oil from them. Land boats of the crooks on the northern shores of Venezuela and leave them there.
This story does not provide Trump haters with any slant for the perpetual "Trump is a zionist tool" farce.
Venezuela didn’t send us their crooks, we invited them in.
This marks the gradual capitulation by the Yankees of their regime change model of gun boat diplomacy.
Viva Maduro! Viva Chavez!
How did we invite them in?They snuck in. Madero and Chavez destroyed their own economies, and prersecuted dissidents and Venezuelan Jews.
What do you think that special status we granted them was?
What do you think the sanctions we levied on the resulted in?
What the hell are you talking about?
Are you going to give them weapons and money before dropping them off on the beach, like the last several failed US-backed coup attempts? Please arrange some drone coverage so that we can laugh at yet another example of Rump's idea of 'foreign policy'.
I don't think he's a "Zionist tool", I think he's just a tool.
Trump is more than a ZIONIST TOOL, He is a ZIONIST HAMMER that thinks everything is a NAIL.
The USA should send its crooks including Trump, Bush, Biden, Clinton and many other current and former politicians to rot @ the ICC for the rest of their lives.
Zionism goooood.
Jake stuuuupid.
Boooooo !
We want to change your government, however before doing that we want your gas and oil to compensate for potential blowback pressuring the country north of our border to comply with our demands…!
Biden & Trump have blood soaked hands and would drink blood from leeches if they could. The USA has a long history of meddling in other countries' affairs and says it only does it to promote democracy and prosperity around the world.
The Arab Spring did not make the ME a prosperous peaceful democracy, neither did the coups in Haiti, Honduras, neither did the attempted coups in Venezuela, Jair Bolosnaro's Regime in Brazil nor other US Meddling anywhere else in the world.
The USA should leave the rest of the world alone and get on with its life by solving its domestic problems.
Those reasons are bullcrap…! US does them because of its insecurity to lose its hegemony…!
As if the US citizens were held in Venezuela with no reasons…! They were caught planning to over throw the Maduro government…!
Let’s see how far this mural respect will last.