El Salvador is repatriating dozens of detained Venezuelans in exchange for US nationals held in Venezuela, the governments of the US and El Salvador announced on Friday.
The central American country sent approximately 250 prisoners incarcerated in its notorious Cecot (Centre for the Confinement of Terrorism) prison in return for the release of 10 US nationals from Venezuela.
The planeload of migrants deported from the US to El Salvador is scheduled to arrive in Maiquetía, Venezuela later on Friday.
Relations between Salvadorean leader Bukele and US President Donald Trump have warmed significantly in recent months, especially as Bukele has agreed to detain deported US migrants.
A senior administration official told reporters on Friday that, with the release, there are currently no longer any US nationals being held by the government of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.
“Today, we have handed over all the Venezuelan nationals detained in our country, accused of being part of the criminal organization Tren de Aragua (TDA),” Bukele said in a post on X.
He said the exchange was done in return “for a considerable number of Venezuelan political prisoners” as well as the US citizens.
In a separate post, US Secretary of State Marc Rubio confirmed the exchange and thanked Bukele and American officials.
The Venezuelans had originally been deported by the US under the Trump administration to El Salvador earlier this year, under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, which gives a US president power to detain and deport natives or citizens of “enemy” nations without usual processes.
A senior Trump administration official told reporters on Friday that El Salvador made the “independent decision” to release the Venezuelan prisoners – which it considers to be gang members – for humanitarian reasons.
The exchange of Venezuelans for Americans facilitated by El Salvador highlights the strong relationship between Trump and Bukele – the self-styled “world’s coolest dictator”.
“This deal would not have been possible without President Bukele,” the administration official said. “We extend our deep, deep gratitude.”
The Salvadoran leader visited Trump in the White House in April, where the pair appeared friendly as they spoke to reporters, often laughing and cracking jokes together.
Bukele has backed the deportation of migrants from the United States to El Salvador’s Cecot maximum security jail.
Trump said at the time that Bukele is “really helping out” the US out by facilitating these detentions, as the Salvadoran president responded that his country is “very eager to help”.
Around the same time, Bukele first proposed swapping Venezuelan deportees for “political prisoners”, including family members of Venezuelan opposition figures, journalists and activists detained in a government electoral crackdown in 2024.
“The only reason they are imprisoned is for having opposed you and your electoral fraud,” he wrote to Maduro on X.
“However, I propose a humanitarian agreement that includes the repatriation of 100% of the 252 Venezuelans who were deported, in exchange for the release and surrender of an identical number (252) of the thousands of political prisoners you hold.”
The senior administration official said that while the deal only pertained to US nationals kept in Venezuela, the Trump administration is still actively working on the release of “dozens” of political prisoners held by the Maduro government.
