Parents of US Air Force veteran detained in Venezuela call out lack of help from Dem senator
Scott and Patti St. Clair, parents of Joseph St. Clair, call on Congress to step up and help after expressing frustration with the lack of action from Sen. Patty Murray, D- Wa.
The family of a U.S. Air Force veteran who was wrongfully detained in Venezuela since November 2024, on Tuesday, said he was released.
Joseph St. Clair, a four-tour Afghanistan War veteran from Hansville, Washington, first went missing in November while getting PTSD treatment in Colombia.
"This news came suddenly, and we are still processing it—but we are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude," said Scott and Patti St. Clair, Joseph's parents.
Joseph St. Clair has been released by the Venezuelan government, his family said Tuesday. (Courtesy of the St. Clair family)
The details surrounding St. Clair's release were not disclosed. The St. Clair family declined to comment further to Fox News Digital.
The family also thanked President Donald Trump, as well as his administration, for securing St. Clair's release. Trump, Ambassador Ric Grenell, Adam Boehler and Sebastian Gorka, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, had worked to secure Joseph’s release.
Joseph St. Clair served in the U.S. Air Force, including deployments to Afghanistan. (Courtesy of the St. Clair family)
"We remain in prayer and solidarity with the families of those who are still being held," the St. Clairs added. "We will never stop loving and supporting them as they continue their fight to be reunited with their loved ones."
In February, St. Clair's father got a call from the Colombian consulate telling him neighboring Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro's regime had his son hostage.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
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With the addition of St. Clair, at least 37 Americans have been released from hostage situations in six countries – Afghanistan, Belarus, Venezuela, Israel, Russia and Kuwait — since Trump took office.
St. Clair is the seventh American to be released from Venezuela since January. Six others were released from the South American nation on Jan.31, 2025, after Grenell met with Maduro.
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