Several American citizens have been detained in Venezuela as the Trump administration builds U.S. military and economic pressure on the government of President Nicolas Maduro.
The New York Times reported the detentions were confirmed by an unnamed administration source.
The detentions began after the Trump administration launched a renewed pressure campaign targeting Venezuela's leadership and key economic sectors.
According to the source, some detainees face criminal charges under Venezuelan law, while the U.S. government is considering designating at least two cases as wrongful detentions.
Those detained include three Venezuelan American citizens and two Americans with no known prior ties to Venezuela.
Venezuela previously detained Americans during periods of diplomatic tension. The U.S. accused the Maduro government of using foreign detainees as leverage in negotiations with Washington.
During President Donald Trump's first weeks back in office, the administration sent envoy Richard Grenell to Venezuela to negotiate the release of prisoners.
Those talks resulted in the release of 17 American citizens and permanent residents.
Negotiations later stalled after the U.S. shifted toward expanded military and economic measures, including naval deployments in the Caribbean and actions targeting Venezuelan oil exports.
The number of detained Americans increased again later in the year.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombia, which handles Venezuelan affairs, declined to comment on individual detention cases and referred inquiries to the State Department.
Most of the identities of the detained Americans have not been publicly disclosed.
One confirmed case involves James Luckey-Lange, a 28-year-old from Staten Island, New York, who was reported missing after entering Venezuela in December.
Luckey-Lange had been traveling across Latin America and was last in contact with family members while planning to return to the U.S.
Former detainees released earlier this year have described harsh prison conditions, lack of formal charges, and limited access to legal processes.
One former prisoner said he was held on terrorism-related charges he described as baseless and was subjected to repeated physical abuse before being released in a July prisoner swap.
Families of at least two additional people with U.S. ties have said their relatives remain imprisoned in Venezuela.
The State Department on Dec. 3 updated its Venezuela travel advisory to "Level 4: Do Not Travel" status.
The warning is specific in advising Americans to avoid crossing Venezuela's border: "Do not travel to or remain in Venezuela due to the high risk of wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure."
Perhaps even more unsettling is the State Department's additional advisory regarding travel to the country: "If you decide to travel to Venezuela: Prepare a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney."
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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