Mon Apr 21 02:28:16 UTC 2025: ## El Salvador Proposes Prisoner Swap with Venezuela

**San Salvador, El Salvador –** El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has proposed a prisoner exchange with Venezuela, offering to repatriate 252 Venezuelan deportees from the United States in exchange for the release of an equal number of Venezuelan political prisoners. The proposal, announced Sunday on social media, targets individuals Bukele claims were imprisoned for opposing President Nicolás Maduro’s government and alleged electoral fraud.

The deportees are currently held in El Salvador’s controversial “mega-prison,” CECOT, a facility built as part of Bukele’s crackdown on gangs. This action has drawn significant international criticism, particularly after the deportation of a U.S. citizen, sparking legal challenges.

Bukele’s list of proposed releases includes family members of high-ranking Venezuelan opposition figures, journalists, activists, and citizens from various countries. He specifically mentioned the son-in-law of former presidential candidate Edmundo González and the mother of opposition leader María Corina Machado.

The Venezuelan government has yet to respond to Bukele’s proposal. Meanwhile, El Salvador’s Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas urged Bukele to prevent the country from becoming “a big international prison.” Despite the controversy, Bukele insists the detained deportees were involved in gang activity in the United States. The proposal highlights the escalating tensions and complex human rights issues surrounding El Salvador’s handling of deportees and Venezuela’s political climate.

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