Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has proposed a trade with Venezuela: 252 Venezuelans deported to his country by the United States in exchange for a like number of political prisoners currently held by President Nicolas Maduro’s regime.
This offer came after President Donald Trump criticized US Supreme Court justices for pausing deportations like the one involving the Venezuelans, which the US administration has conducted under an obscure wartime statute.
“I would like to propose a humanitarian agreement for the repatriation of 100 percent of the 252 Venezuelans who were deported,” Mr. Bukele communicated to the Venezuelan president via X.
The political prisoners would be released “in exchange for the return of an identical number from among the thousands of political prisoners you currently hold,” he added.
The US is compensating Mr. Bukele’s government to detain deported migrants in the notorious CECOT prison located outside of the capital, San Salvador.
Over just a month, 288 migrants, accused by the Trump administration of belonging to gangs such as Tren de Aragua—now labeled a terrorist organization by the US—have been sent to El Salvador.
The US is financing the imprisonment of these migrants at Mr. Bukele’s government’s CECOT facility.
Lashing Out at Judges
The Trump administration has found itself in conflict with judges regarding the deportations.
The Supreme Court’s order has temporarily stopped what rights organizations warned were the imminent deportations of Venezuelan migrants held in Texas, who have been tagged as gang members.
More broadly, this decision temporarily halts the government from continuing expulsions under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, which was previously utilized to detain Japanese-American citizens during World War II.
Officials from the Trump administration have argued that illegal immigration and gang activities constitute an “invasion” of the US, justifying the use of this law.
The US president took to his Truth Social platform, not naming the Supreme Court specifically but criticizing the “WEAK and INEFFECTIVE Judges and Law Enforcement Officials who are allowing this sinister attack on our Nation to continue.”
The White House has been at odds with federal judges, rights organizations, and Democrats who claim that Mr. Trump has violated or overlooked constitutionally protected rights in his haste to deport migrants, often without granting them a hearing.
Senator Chris Van Hollen with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador (Pic: Senator Chris Van Hollen via X)
“We’re getting closer and closer to a constitutional crisis,” stated Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar during an interview with CNN.
In one prominent case, Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported to CECOT without any charges.
The administration acknowledged that Mr. Abrego Garcia had been deported due to an “administrative error,” and the Supreme Court ruled that the government must “facilitate” his return.
Despite this, Mr. Trump has insisted that Mr. Abrego Garcia is indeed a gang member, even posting a seemingly altered photo on social media purportedly showing a gang symbol tattooed on his knuckles.
Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, who met with Mr. Abrego Garcia on Thursday, described him as bewildered by his detention and feeling threatened while in prison.
Mr. Van Hollen challenged the Trump administration to prove that it is adhering to US laws during its deportation efforts.
“I’m okay with whatever the rule of law dictates,” he told CNN, “but right now we have a lawless president… who is disregarding the Supreme Court of the United States’ order to facilitate (Abrego Garcia’s) return.”
Political and Foreign Prisoners
Mr. Bukele asserted that many of the Venezuelan detainees currently in El Salvador “have committed murder, others have committed rape, and some have faced multiple arrests prior to their deportation.”
“In contrast to our detainees… your political prisoners have not violated any laws. The sole reason for their imprisonment is their opposition to you and your electoral fraud,” he addressed Maduro directly.
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Mr. Bukele also expressed his desire to see the release of key Venezuelan figures, including Rafael Tudares, the son-in-law of Mr. Maduro’s 2024 presidential rival Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, journalist Roland Carreno, activist lawyer Rocio San Miguel, and political opponents who have sought refuge in Argentina’s Caracas embassy for over a year.
He also mentioned 50 individuals from other nations, including Americans, Europeans, Middle Easterners, and Latin Americans.
