Transcontinental Prisoner Swap Draws International Attention
A coordinated prisoner exchange saw over 200 Venezuelans returned from an El Salvador jail to Caracas, while 10 Americans held in Venezuela were freed. This event, involving leaders from Venezuela, El Salvador, and the U.S., followed heated legal disputes over deportations driven by the U.S. Alien Enemies Act.
In an extraordinary display of international diplomacy, over 200 Venezuelans arrived home in Caracas on Friday after being released from an El Salvador jail. This move was part of a larger prisoner exchange that also included the return of 10 Americans detained in Venezuela.
President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador announced that the Americans were safely on their way back, a statement corroborated by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who expressed gratitude for Bukele's role in the negotiations. In turn, the Venezuelan government confirmed the freedom of a total of 252 Venezuelans who were held in El Salvador.
This exchange comes after a controversial deportation wave initiated under former U.S. President Donald Trump, which leveraged the Alien Enemies Act, sparking protests and legal challenges over the denied due process. Family members of the released expressed both relief and disbelief at the resolution of the complex diplomatic entanglement.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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