The situation on the ground in Venezuela is a mixed bag right now, which is to be expected. One doesn’t just pluck the lead narco-terrorist from a “government” that’s basically organized crime and expect sunshine and roses within a week. It’s going to take time for Donald Trump and Marco Rubio and the United States team to pull all the weeds, and I have no doubt that if anyone can do it, those two men can.
It’s also changing so quickly that it’s hard to keep up with everything.
That said, I’m seeing a lot of misinformation, speculation, confusion, and biased reporting out there — surprise, surprise — and I want to set the record straight on what’s happening in Venezuela right this minute. Everything I’m going to say comes from our State Department, credible human rights groups, sources on the ground, and people with whom I’ve connected, who are from that country. None of them are anonymous.
None of them are the New York Times. I guess I shouldn’t be, but I am shocked at the lies and misinformation that outlet has written about Venezuela in recent weeks.
Political Prisoners
Donald Trump announced via social media on Friday that “Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of ‘Seeking Peace.’
“This is a very important and smart gesture,” he added. “The U.S.A. and Venezuela are working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure. Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, which looks like it will not be needed, however, all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes…”
The Maduro regime, specifically Jorge Rodríguez, who is the brother of the “interim president” Delcy Rodríguez and head of Venezuela’s National Assembly — no red flags here, right? — also confirmed earlier this week that a “significant number” of the political prisoners would be freed and made it out to be some sort of gesture of “peace,” but make no mistake that this is a demand from the Donald Trump administration.
On Saturday, Trump doubled down, insisting that it was happening in a big way.
It’s not. Hopeful families and friends have been gathered outside various prisons in the country, awaiting their loved ones’ release. According to Alfredo Romero, a lawyer and director of Foro Penal, a Venezuelan human rights organization that focuses on arbitrary detentions, only 17 political prisoners have been released, several of whom are high-profile opposition figures.
That’s wonderful for those 17 people, but Foro Penal also suggests that there are still over 800 in custody. I’ve seen other numbers suggesting it’s closer to 900. Either way, if it takes three or four days to release 17 people, we’ll be at this for at least six months, and there’s absolutely no reason for that.
Unless there is. No one knows for sure, of course, except for the regime, but there are two general areas of speculation. One is that many of the prisoners are in such bad shape that the regime can’t release them or it realizes just how bad this is going to make them look. I’ve written about the conditions and actually have something planned for later today or tomorrow about the big “torture prison” in Venezuela that no one talks about. People here were arrested because they oppose Maduro, thrown into jail in horrific conditions, treated like animals, barely fed, did not receive medical care, and were not allowed contact with the outside world. It’s possible some are incredibly sick or even dead. I know some have died in custody already.
The other idea is that the Rodríguez siblings and the rest of the regime are walking a fine line between convincing Trump they’re following his plans and attempting to maintain control over the country. This is a play stupid game, win stupid prizes way of thinking, because, again, I have no doubt that Trump and Rubio will not give them too many chances. There’s also reportedly a lot of infighting between the key remembers of the regime who remain in place. I also plan to write more on these people in the next couple of days because the NYT treats them as if they’re just regular old government officials.
For the people of Venezuelan, including president-elect Edmundo González and María Corina Machado, releasing these political prisoners is at the top of their agendas, and in addition to the families gathered outside the prisons in the country, many around the world are holding candlelight prayer vigils in their honor. Both Machado and González have been incredibly outspoken about it on social media all week.
Here’s a recent statement from González:
48 hours ago, the release of political prisoners was announced. Today the reality is different. Not even 1% of the announced releases have been achieved. Meanwhile, the families continue waiting. Without clear information. Without lists. Without certainties.
Prolonged waiting is not neutral. It generates anguish, revictimizes, and deepens the damage already caused by arbitrary detentions and processes without guarantees. Freedom is not announced. It is executed. Human rights are not managed with delays or opacity.
He would know. His own son-in-law, Rafael Tudares, was detained for absolutely no reason while taking his children to school one day, and no one has heard from him since. His crime? His father-in-law actually defeated Maduro in an election.
Colectivos and Arrests
Not only are the political prisoners not being released, but you might even say more have been captured. Colectivos are a paramilitary group that supports the regime and works alongside the police and military by patrolling the streets with weapons and searching for anyone who opposes the regime. As I wrote last week, there’s a reason why so many around the world were openly celebrating Maduro’s arrest, but people in Venezuela were not. It wasn’t because they weren’t happy about it, quite the opposite actually. It’s because these guys are out patrolling and, by some accounts, going into people’s homes and businesses, to look for any indication of a person being pro-Trump or pro-United States.
There is no official count of how many people they may have detained — most sources say it was less than 10. Last week, foreign and domestic journalists who were allowed to witness Delcy’s so-called swearing in ceremony were detained shortly after. I believe all but one has been released.
Currently, the Colectivos are setting up roadblocks and stopping people to search their phones and vehicles for any ties to the United States. Which brings me to…
Warnings from the U.S. Government
Our State Department has had a Level 4 warning in place for Venezuela for quite some time. That means “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. All U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents in Venezuela are strongly advised to depart immediately.”
On Saturday, the U.S. embassy in Colombia issued a strongly-worded warning doubling down on and updating that information. It said that all U.S. citizens who are currently in the country should leave immediately:
Before departure, U.S. citizens should take precautions and be aware of their surroundings. There are reports of groups of armed militias, known as Colectivos, setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for evidence of U.S. citizenship or support for the United States. U.S. citizens in Venezuela should remain vigilant and exercise caution when traveling by road.
The U.S. embassy in Caracas has been shut down since 2019, but on Friday, a group of people from the State Department were there accessing security and determining whether it can be reopened. I’m guessing it didn’t go particularly well.
Trump and Rubio speak positively publicly to show strength, but do not doubt for a minute that they’re not fully aware of what’s really going on in that country, and they’re squeezing and threatening the regime even harder than they already were. Our president has largely proven in the last year that he doesn’t play endless games, and our Secretary of State knows these monsters who are currently playing at running the country better than almost anyone, and he knows what they’re capable of.
This is the situation as of Sunday morning (January 11). I’m sure it will change in the days and weeks to come, and I will update you as often as I can.
What’s going on in Venezuela is historic, but the MSM will only cover it in a way that allows them to bash Trump or in a sensational way just to get clicks. You’ll never get that from us. Please consider becoming a PJ Media VIP member and supporting conservative media. You’ll also gain some fun perks for yourself. Best of all, it’s less than $20 for the entire year. Click here to get started.
