Mon Apr 21 04:42:29 UTC 2025: ## El Salvador Offers Prisoner Swap for Deported Venezuelans
**SAN SALVADOR** – El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has proposed a controversial prisoner exchange with Venezuela, offering to repatriate 252 Venezuelan deportees held in a Salvadoran maximum-security prison in exchange for the release of an equal number of Venezuelan “political prisoners.”
Bukele’s proposal, made via X (formerly Twitter), directly targets Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, framing the exchange as a “humanitarian agreement.” He claims the deported Venezuelans are accused of various crimes, while the Venezuelan prisoners are jailed solely for opposing Maduro’s government and alleged electoral fraud. He specifically named several individuals he considers political prisoners, including Rafael Tudares and Corina Parisca.
Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab dismissed Bukele’s offer as “cynical,” demanding a complete list of the alleged “hostages” along with proof of life and medical reports.
The situation stems from the Trump administration’s controversial deportation of at least 261 Venezuelan migrants under the Alien Enemies Act, a move that has faced widespread criticism due to a lack of evidence linking many deportees to criminal activity. The US Supreme Court recently issued a temporary halt to these deportations. El Salvador received approximately $6 million from the Trump administration to detain these individuals.
Maduro previously accused Bukele of complicity in “kidnapping” and demanded the deportees’ repatriation. Bukele’s proposal represents a significant escalation in the diplomatic tensions surrounding the deportations and the broader political crisis in Venezuela.
First Piper 