Two of the men – a lawyer from California and a computer programmer from Texas – were arrested in late March, days after the socialist government of President Nicolas Maduro freed two other Americans. Venezuelan security forces arrested lawyer Eyvin Hernandez, 44, and computer programmer Jerrel Kenemore, 52, in separate incidents in the western state of Tachira, according to a person familiar with the investigation into the arrests. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the cases publicly. Hernandez is from Los Angeles. Kenemore is originally from the Dallas area, but has been living in Columbia since 2019. A third American was arrested in January, also for allegedly entering the country illegally along its long border with Colombia. The AP is withholding his name at the request of his family, who fear reprisals. At least eight more Americans – including five oil executives and three veterans – remain imprisoned in Venezuela, and US officials insist they are being used as political bargaining chips. The latest arrests come amid efforts by the Biden administration to loosen a Trump-era policy of punishing Maduro for what it sees as trampling on Venezuela’s democracy. Instead, Biden officials are trying to lure him back into negotiations with the US-backed opposition to pave the way for free and fair elections. As part of this still-early approach, the US has floated the possibility of easing sanctions on the OPEC nation – a move that, over time, could also help lower oil prices, which have soared since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The March 8 release of two Americans was celebrated in Washington, giving impetus to the Biden administration’s outreach to Maduro. It is unclear what impact, if any, the jailing of three more Americans will have on relations with Maduro, a close ally of Russia whom the US has sanctioned and accused of drug-related charges. The State Department confirmed the three arrests, and a spokesman said officials are advocating for the immediate release of all wrongfully detained Americans in Venezuela. Beyond any political implications, the arrests point to what US officials see as a troubling trend: the apprehension of unsuspecting Americans along the Colombian-Venezuelan border, a lawless region dominated by criminal gangs and leftist rebels. Americans trying to enter Venezuela without a visa are particularly vulnerable. Despite Maduro’s often fiery rhetoric against the US “empire”, there is no indication that he is targeting Americans for arrest. But with the South American country unraveling after years of political turmoil, hyperinflation and devastating food shortages, Maduro’s grip on his underpaid security forces is limited. This has created an opening for criminal elements and hardliners who want to derail Maduro’s talks with the US “There are many different centers of power in Venezuela, and not all of them are aligned with Maduro or share his goal of seeing talks with the US move forward,” said Phil Gunson, an analyst with the Caracas-based International Crisis Group. In an arrest report seen by the AP, Venezuelan military counterintelligence agents justified their actions by citing “continuous threats, the economic blockade and the severance of US diplomatic relations.” Some top Venezuelan officials also justify the arrest of Americans. At a press conference on June 13 announcing the arrest of another, unnamed American, Socialist Party leader Diosdado Cabello said: “They have their plans against our country.” Hernandez, who was arrested on March 31, was due to appear in court on Monday, but the hearing was postponed. Hernandez immigrated to Los Angeles as a young child with his parents, who fled the civil war in El Salvador. After graduating from UCLA law school, he turned down lucrative jobs to work as a public defender representing indigent and sometimes homeless defendants, a sign of his philanthropic spirit, friends and family said. Like Maduro, Hernandez loves salsa music and has a history of labor activism. An avid traveler, Hernandez took a short break from work when he traveled to Colombia, where he has been several times before, his brother said. Shortly before returning home, he accompanied a friend from Venezuela to the border. His family said it was never his intention to go to Venezuela, nor would he knowingly break the law. Hernandez’s friend is also being held and faces an additional charge of immigrant smuggling, according to the person familiar with the investigation. “My whole family misses my brother deeply,” said Henry Martinez, who also lives in Los Angeles. “He has worked his entire career serving marginalized people and is truly the best of us. We hope and pray that Eyvin can come home very soon from this wrongful arrest.” Two weeks before Hernandez’s arrest, Kennemore was taken into custody under similarly murky circumstances. According to Kenemore’s family, he had been living in Colombia for more than a year with a Venezuelan woman he met online when they were both going through divorces. The two shared a small apartment where Kenemore was working remotely for a client in the US, but had decided to move to Venezuela, where his girlfriend had a house. Kenemore’s family said he was detained by immigration officials upon entering Venezuela, according to a GoFundMe page they set up to pay for his defense. They posted on the crowdfunding platform what they said was his last photo before his arrest, near a Colombian border checkpoint at the Simon Bolivar International Bridge. Prosecutors allege Kenemore, his girlfriend and three others entered the country on a nearby dirt road, one of hundreds of irregular crossings used daily by Venezuelans who move between the countries for groceries, medical appointments and to visit family. They said he was carrying three laptops and was accompanied by a captain in the Venezuelan navy, which also raised suspicions. Like Hernandez, Kenemore was charged with criminal association and conspiracy – crimes punishable by up to 16 years in prison. His girlfriend is also being held. “Jerrel is a good American, Christian man,” his sister Gina Kennemore Tillery said in a phone interview. “All he wanted to do was be with the woman he loved. His sisters, children and grandson miss him very much and we want him home.” In April, the State Department warned of threats to Americans along the Colombia-Venezuela border. He advised Americans to avoid all travel to Venezuela and never enter without a visa, which has been nearly impossible to obtain since the US severed diplomatic relations with Maduro in 2019. Under Venezuelan law, foreigners who are in the country without a visa must be deported immediately. But for reasons that are unclear, all three men arrested earlier this year were taken hundreds of miles away in the capital, Caracas, to a maximum-security prison that houses many of Maduro’s opponents. Americans imprisoned in Venezuela are at a disadvantage when it comes to seeking help from their government. The US closed its hilltop embassy in Caracas in 2019 after recognizing opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido as the nation’s legitimate leader. The United Nations has long complained about the lack of independence of Venezuela’s judges as well as the facilities where the Americans are being held. “It’s not a legal system that anyone wants to get caught up in,” said the International Crisis Group’s Gunson. — Follow Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman
