President Donald Trump is sending an envoy to meet with the Venezuelan head of state, seeking to establish coordination on the mass deportation of illegal immigrants.
Trump-appointed liaison Richard Grenell arrived in Venezuela on Friday afternoon to meet with President Nicolas Maduro ahead of a planned repatriation campaign targeting illegal migrants convicted of violent crimes.
“Number one, Rick Grenell has been instructed to identify a place and ensure that repatriation flights of Tren de Aragua members, of Venezuelan nationals who have broken our nation’s laws, will land in Venezuela,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a Friday press briefing.
She continued, “Number two, Rick Grenell is in Venezuela to ensure that all U.S. detainees in Venezuela are returned home.”
Maduro secured another term in office earlier this month after a sham election with documented instances of ballot manipulation. Dozens of citizens were killed during crackdowns after protesters took to the streets to oppose the president’s unprecedented third term.
Trump’s administration remains unwilling to affirm the legitimacy of Maduro’s regime — the U.S. president warned the Venezuelan government not to harm opposition leader María Corina Machado after she was kidnapped leaving a protest on Jan. 9.
In response, Maduro has adopted a bellicose attitude toward the United States, threatening to “liberate” Puerto Rico from the U.S. in the name of “anti-fascist” resistance.
“The United States and President Trump expects Nicolas Maduro to take back all of the Venezuelan criminals and gang members that have been exported to the United States, and to do so unequivocally and without condition,” Mauricio Claver-Carone, Trump’s special envoy to Latin America, said Friday.
The White House has explicitly championed a “peace through strength” philosophy for overseas diplomacy. Trump remains unambiguous on his willingness to inflict immediate, severe economic penalties on foreign countries perceived to be operating against American interests.
Claver-Carone called the repatriation of violent Venezuelan nationals “non-negotiable” and urged the Maduro regime to “heed special envoy Ric Grenell’s message,” warning that “ultimately there will be consequences otherwise.”
The “peace through strength” approach to negotiation was put to the test last week when Colombian President Gustavo Petro refused to receive two repatriation flights, protesting that the deportees were not being treated with “dignity.”
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Trump immediately began the process to impose 25% tariffs and diplomatic sanctions on Colombia, which ultimately led to Petro acquiescing and allowing the mass repatriation process to commence.
The Colombian president published a statement on Friday actively urging his fellow countrymen living illegally in the U.S. to return voluntarily and contribute to the domestic economy.
