An envoy for US President Donald Trump has arrived in Venezuela to meet with President Nicolás Maduro to discuss possible coordination on Mr. Trump’s mass deportation push.

At a White House news briefing today, press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained that Richard Grenell left for Venezuela with two “immediate directives” from Mr. Trump.

One is to identify a place and ensure that repatriation flights will land in Venezuela, while the second is to ensure that all US detainees in Venezuela are returned home.

The White House has also clarified that the visit should not be seen as the US accepting the legitimacy of Mr. Maduro’s current term in office.

Earlier this month, Mr. Maduro was sworn in for a controversial third term as president, despite allegations of fraud in the country’s elections on July 28th 2024.