Washington DC [US], February 1 : US President Donald Trump on Saturday welcomed the return of American detainees from Venezuela and highlighted a new agreement with the country to take back its nationals, including gang members, who had entered the US illegally.
Trump further said that record numbers of illegal migrants and criminals were being deported from the US, asserting that border security was at its strongest since his first term.
Sharing a post on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump said, "It is so good to have the Venezuela Hostages back home and, very important to note, that Venezuela has agreed to receive, back into their country, all Venezuela illegal aliens who were encamped in the US, including gang members of Tren de Aragua."
"Venezuela has further agreed to supply the transportation back. We are in the process of removing record numbers of illegal aliens from all countries, and all countries have agreed to accept these illegal aliens back. Furthermore, record numbers of criminals are being removed from our country, and the border numbers are the strongest they have been since the first term of the Trump Administration," the post added.
Notably, Venezuela freed six American detainees on Friday following a visit by Richard Grenell, former special missions envoy under US President Trump, to Caracas for talks with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, The Washington Post reported.
Maduro's government had been holding at least nine Americans, detaining them amid a crackdown on dissidents and foreign nationals after Venezuela's July presidential election.
He accused some detainees--without offering proof--of plotting violent acts in the country. The US officials and relatives of those arrested had spent months struggling to obtain information about their condition and whereabouts.
According to a report by CNN, like the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada, the US also does not recognize Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate leader. It has placed a raft of sanctions or visa restrictions on Maduro-aligned officials. Washington has no diplomatic presence in Venezuela.