The post-Maduro Venezuelan government has begun releasing political prisoners as a gesture of ‘good will’ to the United States, signaling that the new Delcy Rodriguez government is ready to play nice with Trump. There are reasons to believe that this former Maduro number two (as his vice president) had cooperated with the CIA to hand the longtime Venezuelan president and socialist strongman over to invading American forces during last Friday night’s raid.
President Trump said early Friday that he had cancelled a “previously expected” second wave of attacks on the Latin American country as Caracas is now cooperating with the US. It must be recalled that soon after the attack which ousted Maduro and brought him into US custody, Trump had warned, “We are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so. He added: “We actually assumed that a second wave would be necessary, but now it’s probably not.” Presumably this meant cartel targets, but this brings up the question: where are all the ‘narco-terrorists’ and did they magically disappear now that Maduro was taken out?
In a Friday Truth Social post, the president emphasized the White House and new Caracas authorities 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,” he added.
Trump confirmed that the government is busy “releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of ‘Seeking Peace,'” adding, “This is a very important and smart gesture.” Local news footage also appeared to verify this – a longtime demand of Washington and its allies in Europe.
AFP reports: Venezuela begins releasing a “large number” of political prisoners, including several foreigners, in an apparent concession to the United States after its ouster of ruler Nicolas Maduro
Venezuela begins releasing a “large number” of political prisoners, including several foreigners, in an apparent concession to the United States after its ouster of ruler Nicolas Madurohttps://t.co/EWfcPTLkzq pic.twitter.com/LZtPaZRgA1
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) January 9, 2026
The head of the country’s National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, announced the release of a “significant number” of political prisoners, which is being taken to mean by outside observers that this is most, if not all, political prisoners which the US has demanded the release of.
One prominent name among those reportedly freed is the following:
Rocío San Miguel, a vocal critic of Maduro and a defense expert, was the first prisoner confirmed to be freed. Her family told the New York Times that she was taken to the Spanish embassy in Caracas.
Arrested in 2024, she was accused of being involved in a plot to kill the then-president and faced charges of treason, conspiracy and terrorism. Her arrest shocked human rights activists and, because her whereabouts were unknown, was labelled as potential “enforced disappearance” by the UN Human Rights Office.
As for Trump’s claim that he has called off a ‘second strike’ – there’s as yet no real evidence that the Pentagon was actually preparing such a new offensive, but heavy US assets are certainly still in the region and in regional waters. Trump could be bluffing on this, and very likely is, in order to keep Caracas on edge and cooperative.
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