The President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, has proposed a prisoner exchange to Venezuela, offering to repatriate 252 Venezuelans deported by the United States and currently imprisoned in El Salvador in return for the release of an equal number of political prisoners held by Caracas.
Bukele made the proposal publicly in a social media post addressed to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, stating that many of the deported individuals had committed serious crimes such as rape and murder, whereas the Venezuelan detainees were imprisoned for opposing Maduro’s government—whose re-election last year remains highly contested.
The Venezuelan government swiftly criticised the offer. Chief prosecutor Tarek William Saab questioned the nature of the crimes committed by the deportees and whether they had received fair legal treatment, including access to the courts and legal representation. Caracas maintains it holds no political prisoners, a position human rights organisations strongly dispute.
In his message on X, Bukele wrote: “I want to propose you [Maduro] a humanitarian agreement calling for the repatriation of 100% of the 252 Venezuelans who were deported, in exchange for the release… of the identical number from among the thousands of political prisoners that you hold.” He also referenced nearly 50 foreign detainees, including American citizens, as part of the potential deal.
The offer comes after more than 200 Venezuelans were recently transferred from the United States to El Salvador, where they are being held in the country’s controversial high-security Terrorism Confinement Centre. The US reportedly pays El Salvador to detain them there.
Bukele, who refers to himself as “the world’s coolest dictator,” secured re-election last year with strong public support, driven by his aggressive anti-gang policies.
Maduro has condemned the deportations as “kidnapping” and a “massive abuse” of human rights.
Meanwhile, US immigration policies under Donald Trump have faced increasing legal scrutiny. On Saturday, the US Supreme Court ordered a temporary halt to the deportation of another group of suspected Venezuelan gang members. The White House continues to defend its approach, dismissing legal challenges as “meritless litigation.”
Trump’s administration has been deporting Venezuelan nationals under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, a controversial law that permits the president to detain and expel citizens of countries deemed hostile, without the usual legal procedures.