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Bukele Offers Prisoner Swap for U.S.-Deported Venezuelans

El Salvador proposes exchanging 252 Venezuelan detainees for political prisoners held by Maduro's regime, as legal and diplomatic tensions escalate.

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele waves as he departs following a meeting at the White House with President Donald Trump, Monday, April 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Nayib Bukele, the President of El Salvador, addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2024, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 14, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
SupporterS of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro set fire to a rag doll with pictures of (L-R) El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez, US President Donald Trump, opposition leader Juan Guaida, and Guyana's President Irfaan Ali, during the traditional Judas burning within the Holy Week celebrations in Caracas on April 20, 2025. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP) (Photo by JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)

Overview

  • Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele proposed repatriating 252 Venezuelans detained in El Salvador in exchange for an equal number of political prisoners held in Venezuela.
  • The detainees were deported from the U.S. under the Trump administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act, with allegations of gang affiliations, though evidence has been limited.
  • Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab criticized the proposal as 'cynical,' demanding proof of life, legal status, and medical reports for the detainees.
  • The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued a temporary halt to further deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, citing legal challenges and due process concerns.
  • El Salvador's CECOT prison, where the deportees are held, has faced international scrutiny for human rights violations, intensifying criticism of Bukele's tough-on-crime policies.