Venezuela Arrests U.S. Citizens Amid Rising Pressure from Trump Administration
Venezuelan security personnel have apprehended multiple Americans in the months following the Trump administration’s initiation of a military and economic pressure strategy against the government of Venezuela, as reported by a U.S. official knowledgeable about the situation. Some of those detained are facing valid criminal charges, while the U.S. government is contemplating declaring at least two of the prisoners as wrongfully detained, according to the official. The detainees include three Venezuelan-American dual passport holders along with two American citizens who have no apparent connections to Venezuela, said the official, who requested anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly. President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela has a history of using detained Americans, irrespective of their guilt or innocence regarding serious offenses, as leverage in negotiations with Washington, his primary adversary. President Trump has prioritized the liberation of Americans held abroad throughout his two terms in office and dispatched his envoy, Richard Grenell, to Venezuela to work on a prisoner agreement just days after beginning his second term. The United States further intensified its pressure campaign this month, focusing on tankers transporting Venezuelan oil and crippling the nation’s largest export sector. The U.S. Embassy in Colombia, which manages Venezuelan affairs, declined to comment on American detainees in Venezuela and directed inquiries to the U.S. State Department. The State Department did not respond to requests for a statement. Venezuela’s Communication Ministry, responsible for managing the government’s media requests, did not reply to an inquiry for comment. The names of many Americans arrested in Venezuela recently remain undisclosed. The family of a traveler named James Luckey-Lange from Staten Island in New York City reported him missing shortly after he entered Venezuela’s unstable southern border in early December. The U.S. official indicated that Mr. Luckey-Lange, 28, is among the recently detained and is one of the two Americans who might be recognized as wrongfully detained. Mr. Luckey-Lange is the son of musician Diane Luckey, who performed as Q Lazzarus and is most famous for her 1988 hit “Goodbye Horses.” A travel enthusiast and an amateur martial arts fighter, Mr. Luckey-Lange worked in commercial fishing in Alaska following his college graduation, as per family and friends. He began an extensive journey across Latin America in 2022 after the passing of his mother. His father also died this year. “He has been traveling around, figuring out what to do with his life,” remarked Eva Aridjis Fuentes, a filmmaker who collaborated with Mr. Luckey-Lange on a documentary about Q Lazzarus. “He has experienced so much loss.” Mr. Luckey-Lange mentioned in his blog in early December that he was researching gold mining in the Amazon area of Guyana, which shares a border with Venezuela. On Dec. 7, he informed a friend that he was at an undisclosed location in Venezuela and last communicated with his family the following day. He indicated plans to travel to Caracas where he had a flight booked on Dec. 12 that would eventually take him back home to New York. It remains uncertain if Mr. Luckey-Lange possessed a visa to enter Venezuela, as the nation’s laws mandate for American visitors. His aunt and next of kin, Abbie Luckey, stated in a phone interview that she has not heard from U.S. officials and is requesting any information regarding his location. Some American citizens previously released from Venezuelan prisons this year have reported encountering abusive conditions and a lack of due process. Numerous individuals were not formally charged with any crimes, and many received convictions. A Peruvian-American named Renzo Huamanchumo Castillo recounted his detention last year after visiting Venezuela for familial reasons, where he faced charges of terrorism and conspiracy to assassinate Mr. Maduro. “The charges were nonsensical,” he remarked. Mr. Huamanchumo, 48, stated that he was routinely beaten and fed merely one liter of contaminated water each day while confined in a notorious Venezuelan prison known as Rodeo I. “It was the worst experience imaginable,” he shared. He regained his freedom in a prisoner exchange in July. At least two other individuals with U.S. connections are still imprisoned in Venezuela, as per their families: Aidel Suarez, a U.S. permanent resident originally from Cuba, and Jonathan Torres Duque, a Venezuelan-American. Genevieve Glatsky, Tibisay Romero, Mariana Martínez, and Nicholas Casey contributed reporting. Georgia Gee assisted with research.
Published: 2025-12-31 19:13:00
source: www.nytimes.com
