(The Center Square) – Eleven days after President Donald Trump took office, the Venezuelan government agreed to take back its citizens who illegally entered the U.S., including violent members of Tren de Aragua, and released six U.S. citizens who had been held in Venezuelan prisons.
Richard Grenell, Trump’s envoy for special missions, went to Venezuela to collect six American prisoners and bring them home.
On Jan. 31, he arrived in Venezuela, greeting them by saying, “Hello, I’m an American diplomat sent by President Trump and I’m here to bring you home.”
He posted a video and pictures on social media of the men once they were on a plane heading home and after they landed, saying, “We are wheels up and headed home with these 6 American citizens. They just spoke to @realDonaldTrump and they couldn’t stop thanking him.”
In response, Trump said in a Truth Social post, “It is so good to have Venezuela hostages back home and, very important to note, 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.”
Trump also said that the Venezuelan government has agreed to “supply for transportation back” as his administration continues to remove “record numbers of illegal aliens from all countries, and all countries have agreed to accept these illegal aliens back.”
Under the Biden administration, deportations weren’t possible to countries that refused to take their own citizens. The U.S. deportation process relies on diplomatic relations, including confirming citizenship, implementing visa processes and processing documentation to receive citizens, including those wanted by foreign authorities for crimes.
Under the Biden administration, a record number of Venezuelans illegally entered the country. Instead of processing them for removal, the administration granted many temporary protective status to prevent immediate deportation or enrolled them in a range of parole programs, which federal judges ruled and Republicans in Congress argued were illegal. Days before Trump took office, outgoing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who was impeached by House Republicans for implementing these policies, issued sweeping immigration orders expanding illegal entry into the U.S.
On Trump’s first day in office, he rescinded Biden administration orders, including the parole program and temporary protective status created for Venezuelans by Mayorkas.
The Biden administration had granted TPS to roughly 600,000 Venezuelans and released 117,320 Venezuelans through parole, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data from December.
Under the Biden administration, more than 1 million Venezuelans illegally entered the country, including violent TdA members who expanded operations in at least 22 states, The Center Square first reported.
In response to U.S. prisoners being released, former Biden official Bryan McKeon said, “It’s inconceivable that [Venezuelan president Nicolas] Maduro didn’t give something for the hostages and for agreeing to take deportees. A visit by Grenell wouldn’t be enough.”
Grenell replied by saying, “Of course it’s inconceivable for someone from the Biden team… They made chaos around the world because they didn’t show up or lead. There isn’t a region of the world that was safer after 4 years of Joe Biden’s Administration.”
Grenell also criticized the mainstream media, saying, “It is not lost on me that most of the DC media failed to tell the truth about their partnership with the Biden Regime. Why else would they not criticize the failure of the Biden Administration to even visit Americans in prison in Venezuela? The diplomatic standard is a wellness check, at least.
“These 6 Americans had ZERO help from Joe Biden, Anthony Blinken or Jake Sullivan. Zero. Donald Trump freed them on Day 11.”
