Trump administration confirms release of several Americans imprisoned in Venezuela

WASHINGTON, DC: The Trump administration announced Tuesday, Jan 13, that multiple Americans who had been detained in Venezuela have been released.

According to the administration, the interim Venezuelan government has freed at least four Americans who had been imprisoned in the country. A source familiar with the matter confirmed the releases to CNN, though specific names were not disclosed.

State Department steps in

The move represents the first known release of American detainees since the ouster of Nicolas Maduro and comes as the interim Venezuelan government led by Delcy Rodriguez has begun releasing dozens of prisoners it says were held under the previous regime.

“We welcome the release of detained Americans in Venezuela,” a State Department spokesperson said Tuesday. “This is an important step in the right direction by the interim authorities.”

A senior State Department official said a US government team traveled to Venezuela to assist with the release of the Americans. The releases come amid growing scrutiny over Venezuela’s detention practices and mounting pressure from the US and international human rights groups to free political prisoners.

CNN had previously reported that at least five Americans had been detained in Venezuela in recent months. Under the Maduro government, detaining Americans had become a familiar tactic to gain leverage over the US government.

The Trump administration repeatedly called for the release of all political prisoners in Venezuela as one of several key demands it has made of the interim government. Officials said the US has both economic and military leverage to compel Rodríguez and her administration to cooperate.

Conflicting numbers and government pushback

As of Tuesday evening, Venezuelan human rights group Foro Penal confirmed that 56 prisoners it classified as being detained for political reasons had been freed. But the group also criticized the government for a lack of transparency surrounding the releases, saying it remains unclear who exactly has been freed and under what conditions.

The Venezuelan government disputed Foro Penal’s count, claiming a far higher figure of 400 prisoners released as of Tuesday afternoon.

However, officials provided no evidence to support that claim, offered no timeline for when the releases occurred, and did not identify the individuals freed. This made it impossible to determine whether those released were jailed for political reasons or other offenses.

Foro Penal, a leading local NGO that provides legal support for detainees, said at least 800 political prisoners were behind bars at the beginning of this year.

Last week, authorities began freeing several high-profile detainees, including opposition politicians, in what the government described as a gesture “to seek peace.” Still, the pace of the releases has been far slower than many families and rights advocates had hoped.

Rodriguez addressed the issue during a parliamentary session on Tuesday, pushing back against claims that the detainees were political prisoners.

“The decision to release some prisoners, not political prisoners, but some politicians who had broken the law and violated the Constitution, people who called for invasion, was granted,” Rodriguez said, adding that the move was intended to promote “peaceful coexistence.”

Opposition pressure, human rights concerns, and Trump's victory lap

The release of prisoners long labeled as political detainees has been a core demand of Venezuela’s opposition for years.

Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado has been one of the most vocal advocates for freeing detainees, many of whom are close allies. Machado is expected to meet with Trump on Thursday, according to sources. 

Families of detainees and international rights groups have repeatedly condemned what they describe as abusive treatment inside Venezuelan prisons. Allegations include the denial of medical care, prolonged solitary confinement, restricted access to legal counsel, and even torture in some cases.

The Maduro government had previously claimed it had already released most of the roughly 2,000 people detained after protests erupted over the contested 2024 election, a claim that rights groups dispute.

President Donald Trump weighed in on the developments on Sunday. Venezuela had "started the process, in a BIG WAY, of releasing their political prisoners,” Trump posted on Truth Social. He added, “Thank you! I hope those prisoners will remember how lucky they got that the USA came along and did what had to be done.”