Migrants Exchanged with Venezuela Leave El Salvador

In March, over 200 Venezuelan migrants deported to a large detention complex in El Salvador have now been transferred to Venezuela. This move is part of a negotiated swap involving the release of U.S. citizens, as announced by El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele.

According to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, this agreement resulted in 10 Americans, who were previously detained in Venezuela, regaining their freedom and heading back to the United States.

Official Announcement and Prisoner Exchange Details

In his statement on social media platform X, President Bukele detailed that the Venezuelan individuals who had been held in El Salvador, suspected members of the Tren de Aragua crime syndicate, were returned to Venezuela. This exchange fulfilled a prior offer made to Venezuela's government, which facilitated the liberation of numerous Venezuelan political detainees and all American hostages.

While the precise status of the deportees' arrival in Venezuela remains unknown, Bukele included a video on X that seemed to show them boarding an aircraft.

Background on Migrant Detention in El Salvador

The relocation of these migrants to El Salvador's Central Complex of Detention (CECOT) was part of a $6 million agreement between the government of El Salvador and the Trump administration, aimed at managing migrant detainees under tightened U.S. immigration policies.