Venezuelan migrants freed in Venezuela-US prisoner swap
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Hundreds of Venezuelan migrants accused of gang affiliations were freed from El Salvador’s CECOT prison and returned home as part of a Venezuela-US prisoner exchange.
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Migrants deported months ago by the United States to El Salvador under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown arrive at Simon Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, on July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Hundreds of Venezuelans detained in a high-security Salvadoran prison under US President Donald Trump’s immigration policy were released and returned home on Friday, ending a months-long ordeal that drew international scrutiny.
A total of 252 men were accused, without any presented evidence, of being gang members and were transferred last March to El Salvador’s controversial CECOT "anti-terror" facility. There, they were shackled, had their heads shaved, and were publicly paraded, becoming a symbol of Trump’s hardline immigration crackdown.
The men’s release was part of a negotiated prisoner exchange between the United States and Venezuela. According to officials, the migrants were returned in exchange for 10 Americans or US residents held by Venezuelan authorities, along with an unspecified number of so-called "political prisoners."
"Today, we have handed over all the Venezuelan nationals detained in our country," Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced via social media.
Upon arrival at an airport near Caracas, the Venezuelan nationals were greeted with emotional scenes from family members who had gone months without hearing from their loved ones.
"I don’t have words to explain how I feel!" said Juan Yamarte, whose brother Mervin was among the freed men. Their mother told AFP, "I arranged a party and I’m making a soup," expressing joy at her son's return.
The migrants had been deported from the United States under rarely used wartime powers and were denied access to court proceedings or legal recourse during their detention.
Cristosal, a Salvadoran human rights organization operating in exile, reported that only seven of the 252 men had any prior criminal record.
On the other hand, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro thanked Trump for what he called "the decision to rectify this totally irregular situation."
Human Rights groups condemn detentions and deportations
It is worth mentioning that International human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have denounced the detentions at CECOT as clear violations of due process and basic human rights.
The prison, constructed under Bukele’s government to house gang-related suspects, received US funding in return for detaining the Venezuelan migrants, according to reports. During their time in CECOT, the migrants were denied phone calls and visits, and families repeatedly demanded, without success, proof of life.
In a related development, another flight carrying 244 deported Venezuelans, along with seven children, arrived Friday from Houston to Maiquetia airport. Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the children were "rescued from the kidnapping to which they were being subjected."
Read next: El Salvador arrests human rights lawyer supporting deported migrants
The children were among 30 whom Caracas claims remained in the US after their Venezuelan parents were deported.
"We cannot wait to see him in person and help him recover from the ordeal," his sister, Sophie Hunter, said in a statement. Additionally, Uruguayan authorities confirmed that one of their citizens, a US resident, was released from Venezuelan detention after nine months.
Clamping down on undocumented migrants has remained a central component of Trump’s broader immigration agenda. Since February, over 8,200 Venezuelans, including approximately 1,000 children, have been repatriated from the United States and Mexico, where many had been stranded attempting to cross into the US.
