“We are in regular contact with the families”, the White House informed of Americans imprisoned in Venezuela

A senior White House official said Wednesday that the Biden Administration is watching the fate of US citizens who are imprisoned “for no reason” in Venezuela, while seeking ways to negotiate their release with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

“These conversations sometimes take time, but we are in regular contact with families and advocates to find a route to reunite these individuals with their relatives,” said the White House National Security Council Director for Hemispheric Affairs, Juan Gonzalez, at voice of america.

González’s statements appear when this week it came to light that the Maduro governmentarrested three more Americans this yearwhich was confirmed by a State Department official to the agency AP; These are added to another eight who have been imprisoned in Venezuela for years.

The new detainees are accused of illegally entering Venezuela and other unspecified crimes, the sources added.

Among the most notorious cases are the five former Citgo Petroleum executivesthe US subsidiary of the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA who were arrested during a business trip to Caracas in November 2017 and later accused of corruption.

“Returning Americans who have been detained without reason is one of the highest priorities we have around the world,” González said, adding that special envoy Roger Carstens has traveled “already several times” to Caracas, as part of the efforts.

_{*VOA reporter Jorge Agobian in Washington DC contributed to this report. Part of the information came from the AP agency.}

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