Five Vente Venezuela Members Extracted from Argentine Embassy in Caracas After 400 Days, Arrive in U.S.
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Five Venezuelan opposition figures—Pedro Urruchurtu, Magallí Meda, Claudia Macero, Humberto Villalobos, and Omar González, all members of María Corina Machado's party Vente Venezuela—were extracted from the Argentine diplomatic residence in Caracas after over 400 days of refuge. The operation, referred to as 'Operation Guacamaya,' resulted in their safe arrival in the United States.
The group sought asylum in March 2024 following accusations of conspiracy and treason by the Maduro government. During their time in the embassy, which was under Brazilian custody, they faced a police siege, restricted access to basic services, and repeated denial of safe-conducts. The embassy had been surrounded since March 2024, and the Brazilian government had offered air transport for their departure but was not informed of the extraction until after it occurred.
There are conflicting accounts regarding the nature of their exit. The Venezuelan government, through Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, claims the departure was negotiated and included the exit of Corina Parisca, mother of María Corina Machado, who left for Colombia. The U.S. government, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Argentina, and the opposition deny any negotiation, describing the event as a covert rescue operation. Magallí Meda reported that her home was raided following the extraction.
The operation was coordinated over several months, with the U.S. and Argentina leading efforts. Claudia Macero reportedly escaped the embassy weeks prior to the main operation. Another original asylum seeker, Martínez Mottola, left the embassy in December 2024 and later died in Caracas.
International organizations such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) welcomed the safe removal of the opposition figures and called for the release of all political prisoners in Venezuela, whose number is estimated at around 900. The U.S. has stated it continues efforts to secure the release of other detainees in Venezuela.
📢 Family members of political prisoners gathered on Friday #9May in front of the European Union headquarters in #Caracas to ask the political community to urge the protection of Venezuelan and foreign political prisoners in the country.
📌 @eldiario
#VacaMediatica https://t.co/ixpCWz9B78
📢 Criminal Forum reported that, until #5May, 894 people remain in detention in #Venezuela for political reasons, 66 of them missing. The figure also includes 72 people with foreign nationality.
#VacaMediatica https://t.co/8S2BIQvg32
