At Least Five Americans Detained in Venezuela as U.S.–Venezuela Tensions Mount

Venezuelan security forces have detained at least five U.S. citizens in recent months amid an intensifying pressure campaign by Washington against President Nicolás Maduro, a U.S. official told CNN. The cases vary in circumstance, and some of those detained may be accused of drug-related activity, according to the official. U.S. authorities are still gathering details about what each American was doing in Venezuela and the circumstances of their detention.

U.S. officials say the detentions may be intended to create leverage against Washington. Trump administration sources told reporters they believe Caracas is using detained Americans as bargaining chips as U.S. pressure on the Maduro government has increased. That pressure has included strikes on suspected drug-running vessels, a CIA strike on a Venezuelan port facility, and efforts described by U.S. officials as an oil blockade of sanctioned tankers.

The tactic of detaining foreign nationals for leverage is not new: critics note the approach mirrors actions by Russia, a longtime Venezuelan ally, which has in recent years detained Americans and others amid frictions with Washington.

The New York Times was the first outlet to report on the most recent detentions. Multiple U.S. agencies continue to collect information and have declined to provide a full public accounting; the State Department did not respond to repeated requests for comment and the White House did not immediately reply to requests.

While administration officials have pushed back against framing U.S. policy as an effort to provoke regime change in Caracas, they have increasingly described Maduro as illegitimate and accused him and his inner circle of involvement in narcotics trafficking. In December, the State Department announced two rounds of sanctions targeting members of Maduro’s family, including three nephews and a sister-in-law.

Also in December, U.S. officials said a CIA drone strike hit a Venezuelan port facility — described by U.S. sources as the first U.S. strike on a land target inside Venezuela during this period of heightened tensions. U.S. and Venezuelan officials have traded terse statements since then.

“It is clear that the current status quo with the current Venezuelan regime is intolerable for the United States,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a December press conference, reflecting the administration’s hardening posture.

President Maduro, in an interview broadcast by state-run VTV, sought to reassure Venezuelans about security. He said the nation’s combined popular, military and police defenses have preserved the country’s territorial integrity and public peace. “Our people are safe and at peace,” he said.

Human rights organizations say Venezuela holds hundreds of political prisoners, including individuals detained after a disputed 2024 election that independent observers described as undemocratic. Venezuelan rights groups reported that dozens of detainees were released from a prison on Thursday; Alfredo Romero, head of the Venezuelan human rights group Foro Penal, said none of the released detainees were American.

This story is developing as U.S. officials continue to investigate the detentions and seek additional information about the Americans held in Venezuela.