Venezuela has started releasing multiple Americans detained across the country, according to a US state department official.
The official did not confirm the identities or number of prisoners released by Venezuela, but in a statement called the move “an important step in the right direction by the interim authorities”.
It is the first known release of American citizens since a US military operation seized President Nicolás Maduro and his wife during a raid in the capital Caracas on 3 January, to face drug trafficking charges in New York.
The UN says Venezuela has so far only released about 50 people out of what campaigners say is a tally of more than 800 political prisoners in the country.
The Venezuelan government, led by Interim President Delcy Rodríguez, announced last week it would start releasing “a significant” number of people considered political prisoners as a “goodwill gesture”.
Some domestic opposition figures and at least five Spanish citizens are among those confirmed to have been freed so far.
But days later, human rights groups have criticised the slow pace of releases. Earlier this week, the son of a jailed opposition figure warned US President Donald Trump to “not be fooled” by Venezuela’s promises.
On Monday, the government said more than 100 such prisoners had already been released – a figure that exceeds the number confirmed by rights groups or the UN, but which still represents only a fraction of the total number believed to be held.
The same day, the UN reiterated its longstanding concerns over the country’s use of “widespread and systematic use of arbitrary detention as a tool of repression”.
Relatives of those still behind bars continue to express frustration and anxiety, and many of them have kept vigil outside the notorious El Helicoide prison in the capital Caracas.
Tuesday’s move to release detainees with foreign citizenship appears to signal an effort by Rodríguez to win the favour of the international community, and especially the US, despite the structures that existed during the rule of Maduro remaining in place after he was seized.
The release of the US citizens comes ahead of a visit to the White House on Thursday by María Corina Machado, the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner who has made her own efforts to win over Trump.
At least three Americans had been freed as of Tuesday night, a source told the New York Times.
US Senator Rick Scott, a Republican who represents Florida, thanked Trump for pushing for the release of the prisoners, saying they had been “held captive by Maduro’s evil regime in Venezuela for too long”.
Scott added in a social media post: “Every single prisoner still held under Delcy Rodríguez should be released ASAP.”
Over the weekend, Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social account that the process of freeing detainees in Venezuela had begun “in a BIG WAY”.
Trump said he cancelled a second wave of airstrikes on Venezuela once he learned Caracas was cooperating with the release of prisoners.
The developments are being viewed as the first test of Trump’s influence in Venezuela following the removal of Maduro.
Human rights groups and political activists have long accused the government of using detentions to muzzle its critics. Officials repeatedly denied Venezuela held any political prisoners, insisting they were arrested for criminal activity.
Many were detained after the 2024 presidential election, where Maduro claimed victory despite opponents disputing the results.
That vote lacked “basic transparency and integrity”, according to the UN, and was denounced as rigged by the US which did not recognise Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader.
Previous releases of Americans held in Venezuela have been negotiated through swap deals. Relatives of US citizens detained in the country have said that their loved ones have sometimes been detained while on personal travel.
Americans are currently warned by their government against travelling to the South American country due to the risk of wrongful detention.
Among those said to still be imprisoned in Venezuela is 28-year-old James Luckey-Lange, whose aunt recently told the Washington Post that he “has no political ties to Venezuela at all” and was “just a kid that likes to travel”.
