Senate passes Cruz measure targeting Venezuelan regime's efforts to detain American citizens

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) has passed an amendment proposed by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), which will require the State Department to produce detailed reports on the Venezuelan regime’s efforts to detain American citizens.

The amendment Cruz authored comes after three American citizens, including one from Texas, were detained in Venezuela for allegedly trying to enter the South American country illegally.

“Maduro is deliberately targeting American citizens, including several Texans, and seizing them as hostages,” said Cruz. “My amendment will ensure that the people in the Venezuelan regime who are responsible for these outrages, who believe themselves to be anonymous and immune from consequences, are identified and held accountable. It brings a necessary, renewed focus to Maduro's outrages.”

Although becoming known for the first time last week, the Americans were arrested in March, days after the Venezuelan government released two other Americans that were detained in the country after successful negotiations with the U.S. government.  

Two men, lawyer Eyvin Hernandez, 44, a lawyer from California, and Texas programmer, Jerrel Kenmore, 52, were arrested in separate incidents and are being accused of entering the country illegally, along with other unspecified offenses. A third unidentified man was arrested in January along Venezuela's border with Colombia. It is unknown why the men entered the country.

A spokesperson for the State Department has said they are working on trying to release them after being wrongfully detained. 

"We can confirm the arrest of U.S. citizens in Venezuela in January and March of this year," a State Department spokesperson said. "We take seriously our commitment to assist U.S. citizens abroad. Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment."

There are currently eight more Americans imprisoned in Venezuela, including five oil executives from Citgo Petroleum and three veterans. U.S. officials claim that Maduro’s government is holding them to use them as political bargaining chips.