Page 28 - bon-dia-aruba-20220713

A28 u.s. news
Diaranson 13 Juli 2022

AP Exclusive: Venezuela jails 3 Americans amid US outreach

ans — remain imprisoned in counterintelligence agents was detained by migration
Venezuela, and U.S. officials justified their actions by officials upon entering Ven-
insist they are being used as citing the U.S.'s "constant ezuela, according to a Go-
political bargaining chips. threats, economic blockade, FundMe page they set up
and breaking of diplomatic to pay for his defense. They
The latest arrests come amid relations." posted on the crowdfunding
efforts by the Biden adminis- platform what they said was
tration to unwind the Trump- Some top Venezuelan offi- the last photo of him before
era policy of punishing Mad- cials also justify the arrest of his arrest, near a Colombian
uro for what they consider Americans. In a June 13 press border checkpoint on the
his trampling on Venezuela's conference announcing the Simon Bolivar international
democracy. Instead, Biden arrest of another, unnamed bridge.
officials are trying to lure him American, Socialist party
back into negotiations with leader Diosdado Cabello Prosecutors allege that Ken-
the U.S.-backed opposition said: "They have their plans emore, his girlfriend and
to pave the way for free and against our country." three others entered the
fair elections. country on a nearby dirt trail,
Hernandez, who was arrest- one of hundreds of irregular
As part of that still-early out- ed March 31, was supposed crossings used daily by Ven-
reach, the U.S. has dangled to appear in court on Mon- ezuelans shuttling between
the possibility of easing sanc- day but the hearing was post- the countries for groceries,
tions on the OPEC nation — poned. medical appointments and to
a move that, over time, could visit family. They said he was
also help lower oil prices, Hernandez migrated to Los carrying three laptops and
which spiked following Rus- Angeles as a toddler with his was accompanied by a cap-
sia's invasion of Ukraine. parents, who were fleeing tain in the Venezuelan navy,
civil war in El Salvador. After something that also raised
The release of two Americans graduating from the Univer- suspicions.
on March 8 was celebrated in sity of California Los Angeles
Washington, giving a boost law school, he turned down Like Hernandez, Kenemore
to the Biden administration's lucrative jobs to instead work was charged with criminal
outreach to Maduro. It's not as a public defender repre- association and conspiracy —
clear what impact, if any, the senting indigent and some- crimes punishable with up to
jailing of three more Ameri- times homeless defendants, 16 years in jail. His girlfriend
cans will have on relations a sign of his charitable spirt, is also being held.
with Maduro, a close ally of friends and relatives said.
Russia whom the U.S. has In April, the State Depart-
sanctioned and indicted on Like Maduro, Hernandez ment warned about threats to
narcotics charges. loves salsa music and has Americans along the Colom-
a history of labor activism. bia-Venezuela border. It rec-
The State Department con- An avid traveler, Hernan- ommended Americans avoid
firmed the three arrests and a dez was taking a short break all travel to Venezuela, and
spokesperon said officials are from work when he trav- never enter without a visa,
advocating for the immedi- eled to Colombia, where he's which is nearly impossible to
ate release of all wrongfully been several times before, his obtain since the U.S. broke
detained Americans in Ven- brother said. Right before he diplomatic relations with
ezuela. was due home, he accompa- Maduro in 2019.
Beyond any political fallout, nied a Venezuelan friend to
the arrests point to what U.S. the border. His family said it According to Venezuelan law,
officials consider an alarming was never his intention to go foreigners found in the coun-
trend: the arrest of unsus- to Venezuela, nor would he try without a visa are to be
pecting Americans along the knowingly break the law. immediately deported.
Colombia-Venezuela border,
a lawless area dominated by Hernandez's friend is also But for reasons that are un-
criminal gangs and leftist reb- being held and faces the ad- clear, all three men arrested
(AP) — Three Americans according to a person familiar els. Americans trying to enter ditional charge of migrant earlier this year were trans-
were quietly jailed in Ven- with investigations into the Venezuela without a visa are smuggling, according to the ferred hundreds of miles
ezuela earlier this year for arrests. The person spoke to especially vulnerable. person familiar with investi- away to the capital, Caracas,
allegedly trying to enter The Associated Press on con- gation. to a maximum security pris-
the country illegally and dition of anonymity because Despite Maduro's often fi- on housing many of Madu-
now face long prison sen- they weren't authorized to ery rhetoric against the U.S. Two weeks before Hernan- ro's opponents.
tences in the politically discuss the cases publicly. "empire," there's no indica- dez's arrest, Kenemore was
turbulent nation. Hernandez is from Los An- tion he is targeting Ameri- taken into custody in simi- Americans jailed in Venezu-
geles; Kenemore is from the cans for arrest. larly murky circumstances. ela are at a disadvantage when
Two of the men — a law- Dallas area, but had lived in it comes to seeking help from
yer from California and a Colombia since 2019. But with the South American According to Kenemore's their government. The U.S.
computer programmer from country torn apart after years family, he had been living closed its hilltop Embassy in
Texas — were arrested in late A third American was ar- of political unrest, hyperin- in Colombia for over a year Caracas in 2019, after recog-
March, just days after Presi- rested in January, also for flation and devastating food with a Venezuelan woman he nizing opposition lawmaker
dent Nicolás Maduro's so- allegedly entering the coun- shortages, Maduro's grip on met online when both were Juan Guaidó as the nation's
cialist government freed two try illegally along its lengthy his poorly paid security forces getting over divorces. The legitimate leader.
other Americans. border with Colombia. AP is is constrained. That's created two shared a small apartment
withholding his name at the an opening for criminal ele- where Kenemore was work- The United Nations has long
Venezuelan security forces ar- request of his family, which ments and hardliners looking ing remotely for a client in complained about the lack of
rested lawyer Eyvin Hernan- fears retaliation. to spoil Maduro's talks with the U.S., but had decided to independence for Venezue-
dez, 44, and computer pro- the U.S. relocate to Venezuela, where lan judges as well as the facil-
grammer Jerrel Kenemore, At least eight more Ameri- his girlfriend had a home. ity where the Americans are
52, in separate incidents in cans — including five oil In one arrest report seen by being held.
the western state of Tachira, executives and three veter- the AP, Venezuelan military Kenemore's family said he