Venezuela arrests more Americans as Trump ramps up pressure on Maduro: report

The fig of American citizens arrested and held successful Venezuela has risen successful caller months, according to a caller report.

Several Americans person been detained by Venezuelan information forces arsenic the Trump medication stepped up efforts to isolate President Nicolás Maduro, including sanctions enforcement and an expanded subject beingness successful the Caribbean, The New York Times reported.

A U.S. authoritative acquainted with the matter, speaking connected information of anonymity, told the outlet that portion immoderate detainees look what Venezuelan authorities picture arsenic morganatic transgression charges, Washington is considering designating astatine slightest 2 Americans arsenic "wrongfully detained."

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Venezuelan person Nicolás Maduro brandishes a sword said to person belonged to independency leader Simon Bolivar during a civic-military lawsuit astatine the subject academy successful Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025.  (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

This tin velocity up diplomatic efforts to unafraid their release.

Those arrested presently are said to see 3 Venezuelan-American dual nationals and 2 U.S. citizens with nary known ties to Venezuela, the authoritative told the outlet.

Maduro’s authorities has agelong been accused by U.S. officials and critics of utilizing detained overseas nationals arsenic leverage successful negotiations with the U.S.

President Trump has made the merchandise of Americans held overseas a precedence during some of his presidencies. During his archetypal term, helium followed a run of maximum unit against Maduro.

On his instrumentality to bureau successful January, Trump besides sent envoy Richard Grenell to Caracas to propulsion for a captive agreement.

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Joseph St. Clair has been released by the Venezuelan government, his household said Tuesday.  (Courtesy of the St. Clair family)

Grenell met Maduro successful idiosyncratic and was tasked with securing the instrumentality of detained Americans, announcing helium was bringing location six who had been imprisoned, per Reuters.

In May, Venezuela besides released a U.S. Air Force seasoned who had been detained for astir six months. 

Joseph St Clair, who served successful Afghanistan, had traveled to South America for attraction for post-traumatic accent disorder.

In July, arsenic reported by Fox News Digital, 10 much Americans and U.S. imperishable residents were released aft a captive swap that saw much than 250 Venezuelans held successful El Salvador besides returned home. The U.S. State Department confirmed that merchandise connected July 18, 2025.

"Our committedness to the American radical is clear: we volition safeguard the well-being of U.S. nationals some astatine location and overseas and not remainder until each Americans being held hostage oregon unjustly detained astir the satellite are brought home," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said astatine the time.

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Nicolas Maduro and Marco Rubio (Fox News)

That diplomatic propulsion led to talks betwixt U.S. and Venezuelan officials and resulted successful the merchandise of astatine slightest 16 American citizens and imperishable residents by mid-2025.

Those negotiations were aboriginal suspended arsenic the medication shifted toward broader pressure.

The U.S. began expanding sanctions enforcement, redeploying naval assets to the Caribbean, and accrued operations targeting vessels allegedly linked to drug-trafficking networks tied to Maduro’s regime.

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The USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7), sits astatine the dock, connected a acold wintertime morning. (Getty Images)

Meanwhile, the New York Times reported Wednesday that among those Americans presently reported missing is James Luckey-Lange, 28, of Staten Island, New York, who went missing aft crossing Venezuela’s confederate borderline successful aboriginal December.

Luckey-Lange is the lad of instrumentalist Diane Luckey, known arsenic Q Lazzarus.

Another erstwhile detainee, Renzo Huamanchumo Castillo, a Peruvian-American, told the outlet helium was arrested past twelvemonth and accused of coercion and plotting to termination Mr. Maduro.

"We realized afterward, I was conscionable a token," helium said. He was released successful the July captive swap aft months of harsh detention.

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At slightest 2 others with U.S. ties stay imprisoned, according to their families: Aidel Suarez, a U.S. imperishable nonmigratory calved successful Cuba, and Jonathan Torres Duque, a Venezuelan-American, according to reporting by The New York Times.

The nonstop fig of recently detained Americans has not been publically disclosed by U.S. officials.

Fox News Digital has reached retired to the Department of State for comment.