Venezuela Detains Several Americans Amid Rising Tensions with the US

According to Rokna, citing CNN. the details of each individual case vary, and some of those detained may have been involved in drug smuggling, the official said. US authorities are still gathering information about the Americans’ activities in Venezuela at the time of their detention, the official added.

Officials in the Trump administration believe Maduro’s government is holding the Americans to gain leverage against the US, especially as pressure tactics — including strikes on drug vessels, a CIA strike on a Venezuelan port facility, and a recent blockade on oil shipments — have intensified in recent months.

This approach resembles that of Russia, Venezuela’s long-time ally, which has detained numerous Americans on Russian soil in recent years to exert leverage in its tense relations with Washington.

The New York Times was the first outlet to report on the recently detained Americans. The US State Department did not respond to multiple requests for comment, and the White House did not immediately reply to inquiries.

Trump administration officials have refrained from openly stating that they are seeking regime change in Venezuela, though they have described Maduro as illegitimate and a narco-trafficker. Pressure on the Venezuelan leader has increased, including sanctions and the “blockade” of certain oil vessels.

In December, the State Department announced two rounds of sanctions targeting Maduro’s family, including three nephews, his sister-in-law, and other relatives. The same month, the US carried out its first strike on a land target in Venezuela — a CIA drone attack on a port facility, CNN reported.

“It is clear that the current situation with Venezuela’s regime is unacceptable to the United States,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a December press conference, responding to remarks by the White House chief of staff that Trump “wants to keep blowing up boats until Maduro yields.”

Asked Thursday about the port strike, Maduro said it “could be a topic we discuss in a few days,” while assuring that Venezuela remains secure.

“What I can say is that the national defense system, combining both popular military and police forces, has ensured and continues to ensure the country’s territorial integrity, peace, and full use of our territories,” Maduro told Ignacio Ramonet in an interview broadcast Thursday by state-run VTV. “Our people are safe and at peace.”

According to human rights groups, Venezuela currently holds hundreds of political prisoners, including some detained after the 2024 election, which Maduro claimed to have won but independent observers deemed undemocratic.

Dozens of prisoners were released on Thursday, Venezuelan rights organizations reported, though none were American, according to Alfredo Romero, head of the Foro Penal rights group.