Richard Grenell, who U.S. President Donald Trump appointed as an envoy for special missions, traveled to Venezuela on Friday to force the socialist government to accept deportation flights from the U.S. or face consequences.
A Trump administration official told The Daily Wire that Grenell is there to get them to take back illegal aliens in the U.S., including most notably Tren de Aragua gang members.
This trip was being coordinated between the State Department and the White House.
“There is no better messenger for President Trump,” a top Grenell ally told The Daily Wire. “The Venezuelans will clearly be made to understand that there will be consequences if they do not do what they are told.”
Grenell, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Germany and later Acting Director of National Intelligence during the first Trump term, is known for aggressively executing the president’s orders.
“I would urge the Maduro government, the Maduro regime in Venezuela, to heed special envoy Ric Grenell’s message,” said Mauricio Claver-Carone, Trump’s special envoy to Latin America. “Ultimately there will be consequences otherwise.”
The trip comes after the Trump administration quickly forced Colombia’s leftist government to reverse course after it had denied incoming U.S. deportation flights.
Related: Tom Homan: Trump Will Deport Venezuelans Regardless Of Whether Or Not Venezuela Takes Them Back
