Story highlights President Maduro has said Americans will need visas to visit Venezuela

He also said several Americans were arrested for espionage

The State Department called the allegation "baseless"

(CNN) Venezuela has given the U.S. Embassy in Caracas 15 days to downsize its staff from 100 personnel to 17.

"With respect to bringing the number of staff at the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela to 17, a period of 15 days will be given to decide which staff will stay in our country," said Venezuela's Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez on Monday.

Venezuela's official news agency AVN (Agencia Venezolana de Noticias) said the U.S. Embassy has been asked to reduce its personnel to a staff of 17 to match the number of Venezuelan personnel working in their embassy in the United States.

Last month, the U.S. government approved a law under which Venezuelan officials allegedly involved in human rights violations are to have their visas revoked and their U.S. assets frozen.

Following that decision, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced that that Americans will need visas to visit Venezuela.

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