In an escalating pattern of detentions that has alarmed international observers, Venezuelan authorities have taken more than 50 foreign passport holders into custody since late July 2023, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The detentions come as President Nicolás Maduro seeks to strengthen his bargaining position with foreign governments, including the incoming Trump administration.
The strategy appears to build on Maduro's previous success in securing the release of key allies through prisoner exchanges with the Biden administration. These exchanges included the freedom of Alex Saab, a prominent regime financier, and two of Maduro's nephews, the Journal reported.
"The idea of capturing foreigners is to use them later in an effort to force their home countries to accept conditions in negotiations or to trade them," Gonzalo Himiob, a human-rights lawyer and director of Penal Forum, told the WSJ. His organization represents political prisoners in Venezuela.
The surge in detentions has coincided with a broader crackdown following Venezuela's July 28 vote, during which more than 2,000 Venezuelans were also taken into custody. Both the Biden administration and UN officials monitoring forced detentions have struggled to obtain information about the prisoners from Venezuelan authorities, according to individuals familiar with the situation.
A recent case highlighting this trend involves Nahuel Gallo, a 33-year-old Argentine police corporal, who was arrested on December 8 while traveling to spend holidays with his family. The detention has sparked outrage from Argentine President Javier Milei's administration, which characterizes it as a kidnapping.
"This is no longer just an anti-gringo thing," Eric Farnsworth, a former US diplomat at the Council of the Americas policy group in Washington told the publication. "Now Venezuela's message to neighbors is, 'If you upset us, your citizens are also at risk.'"
The Journal found that many detentions follow a similar pattern: foreign men entering Venezuela through the Colombian border to meet romantic partners are arrested and face accusations of terrorism or espionage. These charges support the regime's claims of US-backed coup plots, according to Himiob.
Penal Forum has confirmed 19 foreigners in detention, including four Americans, along with citizens from Ecuador, Colombia, Spain, Ukraine, and Uruguay. Additionally, 30 Venezuelans with dual citizenship, primarily from Spain or Italy, are being held.
By September, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced the arrests of at least seven Americans, claiming they were involved in a plot to overthrow Maduro. The regime presented these accusations during a series of news conferences led by Cabello, who many diplomats and scholars consider the regime's top enforcer.
The US State Department declined to specify how many Americans are currently detained, citing security concerns. A department spokeswoman noted that Venezuela neither notifies US officials of detentions nor grants them access to detained citizens. Since closing its embassy in Caracas in March 2019, the US has warned citizens against traveling to Venezuela due to the high risk of wrongful detentions.
