Trump Promises to Get All Political Prisoners Released From Venezuelan Jails

President Donald Trump said on May 13 that he will ensure the release of all remaining political prisoners from Venezuelan jails.

Before he boarded a plane taking him on his state visit to China, Trump was asked about the fate of political prisoners in Venezuela and whether he would get them all released.

“We’ll do it. We’re going to get them all out,” Trump said. “As you know … they let a lot of the political prisoners out, and the rest will be [let out].”

On Jan. 23, Delcy Rodríguez, the former Venezuelan vice president who has led the country since the socialist Nicolás Maduro was ousted on Jan. 3, said that 626 people had been released from prison.

Earlier in January, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, Delcy’s brother, said the regime has decided to release “a significant number” of Venezuelan and foreign detainees as a gesture affirming its “broad intention to seek peace.”

According to Foro Penal, an organization that provides free legal assistance to people subjected to arbitrary detentions in Venezuela, “as of Feb. 24, 2026, more than 573 individuals classified by our organization as political prisoners remain in detention.”

‘Delcy is Doing a Great Job’

“I’ll tell you what, Delcy is doing a great job,” Trump said.

Rodríguez took over after Maduro was captured by U.S. special forces in Caracas and transported to New York, where he has been indicted on narco-trafficking charges along with his wife, Cilia Flores.

“The people of Venezuela are thrilled with what’s happened. They can’t even believe it. They’re dancing in the streets,” Trump said.

“We have Exxon, we have Chevron, we have all of the big companies going in, and Venezuela now is making more money than they’ve made in the last 25 years.”

In March, Exxon Mobil’s upstream head, Dan Ammann, said the company had a team in Venezuela evaluating ‌the country’s oil and gas resources and infrastructure.

On April 13, Chevron signed two asset-swapping agreements in order to concentrate on the production of heavy oil in Venezuela’s Orinoco Belt.

In a May 12 post on Truth Social, Trump posted a map of Venezuela with the flag of the United States on it, and the words “51st State” above it.

Fox News co-anchor John Roberts posted on X on May 11, “Just got off the phone with Trump … he told me he is seriously considering a move to make Venezuela the 51st state.”

Trump has made similar comments about Canada.

On April 24, 2025, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Trump referenced Canada as the “51st state” during a phone call between the pair the previous month, but said Trump respected Canada’s sovereignty.

Venezuela Rejects ’51st State’ Label

Rodríguez told journalists on May 11 that Venezuela had no plans to become the 51st U.S. state.

She was speaking at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, on the final day of hearings in a dispute between Venezuela and neighboring Guyana. Caracas lays claim to Guyana’s oil-rich Essequibo region, which makes up almost two-thirds of the former British colony.

“We will continue to defend our integrity, our sovereignty, our independence, our history,” said Rodríguez.

She said Venezuela is “not a colony, but a free country.”

Rodríguez said Venezuelan and U.S. officials have been in touch and are working on “cooperation and understanding.”

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly was asked about Trump’s “51st state” comments in an interview with Roberts on Fox News.

Kelly said the president is “famous for never accepting the status quo,” and praised Rodríguez for “working incredibly cooperatively” with Washington since taking over from Maduro.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.