Venezuela Frees 10 US Citizens in Exchange for Deported Nationals

The Venezuelan men have spent months in El Salvador’s high-security prison known as CECOT.

Men, who El Salvador's government identify as Venezuelans who the U.S. government detained and flew to El Salvador months ago, boarding a Venezuelan plane bound for Venezuela as soldiers stand by at the Oscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport in San Luis Talpa, El Salvador, on July 18, 2025. El Salvador's presidential press office via AP

The governments of the United States and El Salvador announced Friday they have facilitated a prisoner swap, securing the release of 10 U.S. citizens held in Venezuela in exchange for the return of more than 250 Venezuelan men who had been deported from the United States and imprisoned in El Salvador.

“Today, we have handed over all the Venezuelan nationals detained in our country, accused of being part of the criminal organization Tren de Aragua,” Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said in a post on X, noting that many of them face multiple charges related to violent crimes.