El Salvador Proposes Prisoner Exchange with Venezuela Amid Deportation Controversy
President Bukele offers to swap 252 Venezuelans deported from the U.S. for political detainees held by Caracas
On April 20, 2025, El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele proposed a prisoner exchange to his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro.
The proposal involves transferring 252 Venezuelans deported from the United States and currently detained in El Salvador to Venezuela, in return for the release of an equal number of individuals identified as political prisoners held in Venezuelan custody.
Among the detainees Bukele seeks to have released are journalist Roland Carreño, human rights lawyer Rocío San Miguel, and Corina Parisca de Machado, the mother of opposition leader María Corina Machado.
The proposal also includes nearly 50 detainees of other nationalities, including 10 U.S. citizens.
Bukele stated that his Foreign Ministry would formally present the proposal to the Venezuelan government through diplomatic channels.
The 252 Venezuelans in question were deported from the United States under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a rarely used wartime law.
The Trump administration alleged that these individuals were affiliated with the Tren de Aragua criminal gang.
Upon arrival in El Salvador, they were incarcerated in the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a high-security prison.
The U.S. government agreed to pay El Salvador $6 million to detain these individuals for one year pending further decisions on their disposition.
However, the deportations have been met with legal challenges and international criticism.
The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked further deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, citing concerns over due process.
Legal filings indicate that many of the deported individuals did not have criminal records in the United States.
Families and lawyers of the detainees have disputed the gang affiliation claims, asserting that the migrants have no ties to criminal groups.
In Venezuela, the government denies holding political prisoners, stating that all incarcerated individuals have been convicted of crimes.
Nonetheless, human rights organizations report that over 1,900 people are detained for political reasons in the country.
The Venezuelan government has not officially responded to Bukele's proposal.
The situation continues to evolve, with legal proceedings ongoing in both the United States and El Salvador regarding the deportations and the status of the detainees.
The proposal involves transferring 252 Venezuelans deported from the United States and currently detained in El Salvador to Venezuela, in return for the release of an equal number of individuals identified as political prisoners held in Venezuelan custody.
Among the detainees Bukele seeks to have released are journalist Roland Carreño, human rights lawyer Rocío San Miguel, and Corina Parisca de Machado, the mother of opposition leader María Corina Machado.
The proposal also includes nearly 50 detainees of other nationalities, including 10 U.S. citizens.
Bukele stated that his Foreign Ministry would formally present the proposal to the Venezuelan government through diplomatic channels.
The 252 Venezuelans in question were deported from the United States under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a rarely used wartime law.
The Trump administration alleged that these individuals were affiliated with the Tren de Aragua criminal gang.
Upon arrival in El Salvador, they were incarcerated in the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a high-security prison.
The U.S. government agreed to pay El Salvador $6 million to detain these individuals for one year pending further decisions on their disposition.
However, the deportations have been met with legal challenges and international criticism.
The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked further deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, citing concerns over due process.
Legal filings indicate that many of the deported individuals did not have criminal records in the United States.
Families and lawyers of the detainees have disputed the gang affiliation claims, asserting that the migrants have no ties to criminal groups.
In Venezuela, the government denies holding political prisoners, stating that all incarcerated individuals have been convicted of crimes.
Nonetheless, human rights organizations report that over 1,900 people are detained for political reasons in the country.
The Venezuelan government has not officially responded to Bukele's proposal.
The situation continues to evolve, with legal proceedings ongoing in both the United States and El Salvador regarding the deportations and the status of the detainees.