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.

U.S. citizens released from Venezuela pose for a photo holding U.S. flags after a prisoner swap, at an unknown location, in this handout picture released on July 18, 2025. Venezuela's U.S. Embassy/Handout via Reuters

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.