A Southern California man who was held in Venezuela says his wife was released this week after more than a year in custody, following an international spat that accused him and others of plotting against the regime. He describes brutal treatment, a prisoner swap that freed him months earlier, and a renewed push to bring his Venezuelan wife to the United States amid praise for the current U.S. administration. The case highlights the dangers of border crossings into Venezuela, the heavy hand of the Maduro apparatus, and the political shifts after recent U.S. actions. Now the family is focused on reuniting and navigating the diplomatic channels to get her to California.
Renzo Humanchumo Castillo says the nightmare began when he, his wife Rosa Carolina Chirino Zambrano, and a friend were stopped near the Colombia-Venezuela border. Castillo says Venezuelan authorities quickly leveled serious accusations at him, transforming what should have been a family visit into an international incident. He ended up charged with terrorism and accused of plotting against the Venezuelan leadership.
“It was surreal,” Castillo recalled of the conversation. “She got teary, you know, but she was like… ‘hey baby, I’m out.’ Now my main concern is how do I get her here with me.”
Castillo says the government painted him as a hired killer, a professional sent to topple the regime. “They got me as a professional hitman sent by the CIA, and (that) I was there to overthrow the government and kill Maduro and Diosdado (Cabello),” Castillo said. Venezuelan state media displayed him and others as evidence of an alleged plot, a tactic that has long been used to intimidate dissent and sway public perception.
He describes being paraded on television and placed at the center of elaborate claims. “Cabello, he presented me on the news, and then he put me on a chart saying that I came here to overthrow the government,” Castillo said. “Me and some other Americans.” Those public accusations made detention harsher and complicated any diplomatic fixes.
While in custody, Castillo says he endured severe abuse and degrading treatment at El Rodeo, a prison notorious for its harsh conditions. “They had me hanging. And like my feet were still kind of touching the floor,” he said. “They just hit me for maybe at least five to eight hours, just hanging… just not even questions anymore. But you can feel the joy, how much they wanted to hit me, hurt me, you know?”
Castillo was released in a prisoner swap in July 2025, but Zambrano remained behind because she is a Venezuelan citizen. He says he has been fighting to get her out ever since and plans to contact the State Department for help. The recent capture of Maduro by U.S. forces, which Castillo says lifted his spirits, appears to have shifted the balance and opened a window for more releases.
“It was that moment when, inside of me, I felt I was going to be able to see my wife again,” he said. “The chances of me seeing my wife again just went from like, from nothing to like a hundred. It really lifted my spirit.” Castillo credits the administration’s decisive moves for changing his outlook and creating momentum toward family reunification.
The United States welcomed the recent releases and framed them as a positive development from interim Venezuelan authorities. “We welcome the release of detained Americans in Venezuela,” a State Department official said Tuesday. “This is an important step in the right direction by the interim authorities.” On social media, President Trump pointed to economic and security talks as part of a new relationship with Venezuela when he wrote, “This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be a spectacular one FOR ALL. Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before!”
Castillo is openly grateful to the administration and key leaders who pushed for action. “I feel like the current administration is doing the hard work that it hasn’t been done,” he said. “Those things that sometimes people don’t want to see and are afraid to say, well, they’re doing it now. And I am very thankful to the administration. I’m very thankful to my president. Very thankful to (Secretary of State) Marco Rubio, because they did all of this. They got us out.” For Castillo the work is far from over, but the recent developments have turned fear into cautious hope and a clear next step: bring his wife home.
