10 Americans released in prisoners change between us, El Salvador and Venezuela

Washington – Ten Americans are on their way to the United States after an exchange of prisoners involving the United States, El Salvador and Venezuela, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday.

The Americans were released from Venezuela in exchange for El Salvador to return 252 Venezuelans who were deported from the United States to a notorious saving imprisonment earlier this year, high officials of the administration said, claiming that Venezuelans released were members of the Trena de Aragua gang.

An old Navy Seal, Wilbert Joseph CastanedaIt is among the American -released, three sources told News themezone. Castaneda was arrested in Venezuela last year while traveling staff.

“We have prayed for this day for almost a year. My brother is an innocent man who was used as a political pawn by Maduro’s regime,” said Castaneda’s family in a statement. The family said he had suffered several traumatic brain injuries during his 18 years in the Navy that “harmed his judgment and mitigation of risks” and “led him to make a bad decision to travel to Venezuela.”

The United States warned Americans who do not travel to Venezuela or near their borders, citing the risks of illicit detention.

“Until today, more Americans remained unfairly in Venezuela than any other country in the world,” Rubio said in a statement that accredited the “leadership and commitment of President Trump with the American people.”

“Every American unfairly detained in Venezuela is now free and back in our homeland,” Rubio added.

The United States Embassy in Venezuela published a photo of Americans released with American diplomat John Mcnamara.

As part of the agreement, the Venezuelan government also released dozens of people who were described as Venezuelan political prisoners and detainees, said a senior administration official.

The Salvadoran president, Nayib Bukele, wrote in X that his country “delivered to all Venezuelan nationals arrested in our country, accused of being part of the criminal organization of Aragua,” in exchange for “a considerable number of Venezuelan political prisoners … like all US citizens who were holding as requirements.”

The Trump administration deported more than 200 male Venezuelan citizens to El Salvador in March, accusing them of being part of the Transnational Train of Aragua gang. Trump invoked a law of war of the 18th century, the Alien enemies law, to order officials to quickly deport many of Venezuelan migrants, considering a threat to the United States.

In May, the Supreme Court Extended a pause On the deportations of Venezuelan migrants arrested in northern Texas while challenging their removals under the war law.

Some of the families of the Venezuelan deportees have denied that they have gang connections and “60 minutes” Research in April He discovered that most of the detainees had no criminal convictions.

The Venezuelan government confirmed Friday’s exchange, saying that in a statement “it has achieved the release of the 252 Venezuelan citizens who remained kidnapped and subjected to forced disappearance in a concentration camp, known as Cecot, in the Republic of El Salvador.”

Officials describe the agreement “with the feet”

A senior administration official said that the agreement with El Salvador and Venezuela was “essentially to the cable.” The flight that led to the detainees took off from Venezuela around 3:40 pm et and left Venezuelan airspace around 3:55 pm, the official claimed that the Venezuelan government took “one last position” by briefly delaying Friday exchange as a “power flexion.”

The exchange of prisoners was organized when Venezuela faces intense US sanctions that limit the oil industry that was once lucrative in the country, and occurred one day after the Trump administration imposed sanctions in six leaders and train affiliates of Aragua. A senior administration official said that Friday’s agreement was “of a humanitarian nature” and that “there was no discussion about sanctions.”

Rubio accredited Bukele, who has presented himself as a key ally in the impulse of deportation of Mr. Trump, for the exchange. Bukele published in X that his government initially proposed the exchange to the Venezuelan government in April.

James Laporta, Charlie de Agata, S. DevCamilla Schick, Eleanor Watson, Olivia Victoria Gaza and Camilo Montoya-Galvez contributed to this report.