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Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Tuesday night that the Trump administration has rescued five hostages held under the Maduro regime in Venezuela.
The hostages are all now safely held on U.S. soil, according to a post to X by Rubio.
“The U.S. welcomes the successful rescue of all hostages held by the Maduro regime at the Argentinian Embassy in Caracas,” Rubio wrote.
“Following a precise operation, all hostages are now safely on U.S. soil. Maduro’s illegitimate regime has undermined Venezuela’s institutions, violated human rights, and endangered our regional security. We extend our gratitude to all personnel involved in this operation and to our partners who assisted in securing the safe liberation of these Venezuelan heroes,” he added.
The Washington Post reported that the five hostages had been held at the ambassador’s residence at the Argentinian Embassy in Caracas, starting in March 2024.
“The government of Argentine President Javier Milei allowed the five people into the ambassador’s residence in March 2024, when authorities loyal to Venezuela’s ruling party issued warrants for their arrest, accusing them of promoting acts of violence to destabilize the country,” The Washington Post reported.
“Since late November, the group had denounced the constant presence of intelligence service agents and police outside the residence,” the report continued.
The latest update marks more than 50 hostages and prisoners that the Trump administration has secured for release since the president’s return to office in January.
On Tuesday, Trump met with American ballerina Ksenia Karelina at the White House on Monday after his administration recently secured her release from Russia.
Karelina, a dual American-Russian citizen, was detained last year on treason charges while visiting Russia.
“Congratulations, it’s a great honor,” Trump said upon meeting Karelina in the Oval Office.
“Honored to join @POTUS at the @WhiteHouse today to welcome Ksenia Karelina. The Trump Administration is committed to bringing home every single American who is wrongfully detained around the world,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted to X. The Trump administration secured Karelina’s release in a prison exchange last month for German-Russian Arthur Petrov, who was arrested in Cyprus in 2023.