NEWSMAX -- President Donald Trump and his envoy for special missions, Ric Grenell, announced the release of the six men on social media. Grenell posted on X a photo showing him and the men aboard an aircraft.

"We are wheels up and headed home with these 6 American citizens," Grenell wrote. "They just spoke to @realDonaldTrump and they couldn't stop thanking him."

Grenell did not name the six men with him aboard the aircraft. They were dressed in light blue outfits like the ones used by Venezuela's prison system.

"Just been informed that we are bringing six hostages home from Venezuela," Trump posted on Truth Social. "Thank you to Ric Grenell and my entire staff. Great job!"

Grenell traveled to Caracas to demand that Maduro's government accept the unconditional return of Venezuelans deported from the U.S. or face consequences. He and Maduro met at the Miraflores presidential palace in one of the first known meetings by the second Trump administration with a government it considers hostile.

"Super emotional day. They didn’t know what was happening," Grenell said of the hostages, according to Newsmax. "They didn’t know where they were going. I got to greet them and say, 'Hi. I’m an American diplomat sent by Donald Trump and I’m here to take you home.' "

But Maduro, accused by the U.S. of stealing last year's presidential election, stressed the meeting had "zero agenda" and that he sought a "new beginning in bilateral relations" with the U.S., according to a statement from the government in Caracas.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier Friday that Grenell would demand Caracas allow repatriation flights for members of the Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan criminal gang Trump has designated a terrorist group.

Mauricio Claver-Carone, Trump's special envoy to Latin America, previewed Grenell's visit to Caracas in a conference call with journalists earlier Friday. He said Grenell, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence during Trump's first term, was in Venezuela on a "very specific mission" that in no way detracts from the Trump administration's goal of restoring democracy in the South American nation.

"I would urge the Maduro government, the Maduro regime in Venezuela, to heed special envoy Ric Grenell's message," said Claver-Carone, a former top national security aide to Trump during his first administration. "Ultimately there will be consequences otherwise."

The visit comes less than a month after Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term despite credible evidence that he lost last year's election. The U.S. government, along with several other Western nations, does not recognize Maduro's claim to victory and instead points to tally sheets collected by the opposition coalition showing that its candidate, Edmundo González, won by a more than a 2-to-1 margin.

Venezuelan state television aired footage of Grenell and Maduro speaking in the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, the capital, and said the meeting had been requested by the U.S. government.

Signing an executive order in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump was asked if Grenell being filmed meeting with Maduro lent legitimacy to an administration that the Trump White House hasn't official recognized.

"No. We want to do something with Venezuela. I've been a very big opponent of Venezuela and Maduro," Trump said. "They've treated us not so good, but they've treated, more importantly, the Venezuelan people, very badly."

Trump added that Grenell is "meeting with a lot of different people, but we're for the people of Venezuela."