‘I checked out Mr. Maduro, and I stated, “We’d prefer to have our hostages house, and I wish to convey house six in the present day,”’ Grenell stated.
Talking with The Epoch Occasions on the 2025 Conservative Political Motion Convention (CPAC), Grenell described his go to to Caracas with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He stated his targets had been to free the prisoners and get Venezuela to just accept and pay for repatriation flights of its unlawful immigrants from the USA.
“I went down for the day and tried to, via diplomatic means, get the Venezuelans to pay for planes that may come as much as the USA to take their residents who’re in our nation illegally, who crossed the southern border illegally,” Grenell stated. The Trump administration, he added, had remoted roughly 250 Venezuelan unlawful immigrants who had been suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang.
“On the similar time, I checked out Mr. Maduro, and I stated, ‘We’d prefer to have our hostages house, and I wish to convey house six in the present day,’” Grenell stated.
Whereas Maduro had initially instructed him to attend till the morning to debate the hostages, Grenell replied that he could be boarding his Air Pressure airplane quickly, “and I hope that you would be able to look this listing over and ship six.”
Inside roughly two and a half hours, vehicles arrived carrying six of the American prisoners, nonetheless carrying black hoods over their heads.
“They pulled the black hood off [a hostage’s] head. I may see it in his eyes that he was very afraid. Didn’t know what was occurring. He would later inform me that he didn’t know if he was going to get shot … if he was going to a different jail, he didn’t know what was occurring,” Grenell stated.
After telling the person he was an American diplomat right here to take him house, the person burst into tears and hugged Grenell.
“It was in all probability the best day of my 25-year profession, to have the ability to be there and see humanity in such a low place, and to be so excited to have their state of affairs modified straight away from what they thought,” he stated.
Grenell stated Maduro had a “lengthy listing of asks” in alternate for the hostages, however the U.S. authorities didn’t give Venezuela something in return.
“I stated, ‘Look, we’re not right here to present you something. What I’m right here to do, although, is to let you know that I got here right here to Caracas. I’m now sitting in your palace. I’m sitting right here asking you to do issues, and you’ve got cameras throughout. You’re going to make use of this second. You’re going to inform people who I’m right here; that alone is a present. That alone is me exhibiting you that we have to discuss a distinct relationship,’” Grenell stated.
“We didn’t give them something.”
Grenell instructed The Epoch Occasions that Venezuela continues to be holding “six or seven” further American prisoners, however that the Trump administration continues to be negotiating for his or her launch.
In 2023, Venezuela launched 10 American prisoners in alternate for a Maduro ally, Colombian businessman Alex Saab.
Trump instructed reporters on Jan. 31 that Grenell’s assembly with Maduro was not meant to legitimize the chief’s presidency, which isn’t formally accepted by the USA and a number of other different international locations.
The US has repeatedly contested Maduro’s government-backed victory in that election, and the Biden administration reinstated broad oil sanctions on Venezuela after it accused the chief of failing to maintain guarantees of a free presidential election.
Rudy Blalock and Reuters contributed to this report.