Venezuela Accuses Bukele of Forced Disappearances of Migrants; Calls for Immediate Release
Title: El Salvador's Controversial Proposal to Swap Detained Venezuelans for Political Prisoners Slammed by Caracas
April 23, 2025 | Our Website
El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele faced widespread criticism for his "cynical" plan to exchange 252 detained Venezuelan migrants for equivalent numbers of alleged political prisoners held in Venezuela. On Sunday, Bukele fired off a "humanitarian proposal" to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, suggesting a swap of the Venezuelans detained in El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison for the same number of "political prisoners" imprisoned in Venezuela for various charges, including destabilization.
This proposal came just days after more than 200 Venezuelans were forcibly expelled from the U.S. under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, accused of belonging to the "Tren de Aragua" gang. Caracas adamantly denounced the widespread criminalization of migrants and claimed it dismantled the gang's operations within its borders back in 2023.
Investigations revealed that the majority of the deported Venezuelans have no criminal record in the U.S., and they were removed through unconventional processes, with some detainees forced to admit gang allegations before being sent to El Salvador.
Reports indicate that the Trump administration agreed to pay Bukele $20,000 per detainee yearly.
In response to this offer, Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab condemned Bukele's statement, labeling it a brazen acknowledgment of detaining innocent Venezuelan nationals in a concentration camp. The statement also described the U.S.-El Salvador agreement as a human trafficking operation.
Saab urged Bukele to disclose what crimes the detainees had committed, whether they had access to legal counsel, or if they were allowed contact with family members. He demanded a complete list of the imprisoned individuals along with their judicial status, proof of life, and medical reports.
Meanwhile, President Maduro called for the unconditional release of all the detained Venezuelans, urging Bukele to abandon this path of forced disappearance. Maduro also requested the liberation of Salvadoran national Kilmar Ábrego García, who was deported to El Salvador on suspicions of being a member of the MS-13 gang. His lawyer has denied the accusation.
Bukele reaffirmed his swap deal on Tuesday, stating that his foreign ministry had formally sent the official proposal to the Venezuelan government through diplomatic channels. Venezuela's Foreign Ministry responded with opposition to the human rights violations against the group of migrants and demanded respect for due process.
Family members of detained Venezuelans in El Salvador rejected Bukele's exchange proposal, claiming he was treating their relatives as political merchandise. "We refuse to accept an exchange because our children are not criminals," stated Luismary Gómez, a 44-year-old mother.
As the controversy unfolded, lawyers hired by the Maduro government argued that their clients, accused of being Tren de Aragua members, had not been provided access to legal representation and denied the charges. Legal action regarding habeas corpus remains unanswered in Salvadoran courts.
The backlash against the Trump administration's crackdown on migration, particularly against Venezuelans, continues as more deportations to El Salvador are expected. On Monday, the U.S. Justice Department announced that 27 more Venezuelans have been charged with murder, extortion, sex, drug trafficking, robbery, and firearm offenses, accused of belonging to Tren de Aragua and a splinter faction called Anti-Tren. A federal law aimed at combating organized crime, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), has been employed against these individuals.
The Trump administration faces legal challenges in U.S. courts over the deportations, with orders to facilitate the return of deported Venezuelans like Kilmar Abrego Garcia and another man named "Cristian" to the U.S. to have their asylum claims properly adjudicated. Ongoing legal disputes are centered on due process violations surrounding these deportations.
Insight: The controversy revolves around the deportation of 252 Venezuelan migrants from the U.S. to El Salvador, with many having only suspicious ties to a criminal group and no formal U.S criminal charges. These migrants have been held without access to adequate legal representation and proper judicial process in El Salvador.
This article received edits by Cira Pascual Marquina in Palmarito.
- The Venezuelan migrants, detained in El Salvador's CECOT prison, were sent as part of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele's proposal to exchange them for political prisoners in Venezuela.
- The Venezuelan Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, condemned the proposal, labeling it as a human trafficking operation and demanded a complete list of the imprisoned individuals, their judicial status, proof of life, and medical reports.
- President Maduro urged Bukele to release all detained Venezuelans, and called out the forced disappearance of Salvadoran national Kilmar Ábrego García, a non-membership accusation of the MS-13 gang, which his lawyer has denied.
- Family members of detained Venezuelans in El Salvador rejected Bukele's exchange proposal, stating that their relatives are not criminals and should not be treated as political merchandise.
- As the controversy unfolded, lawyers hired by the Maduro government argued that their clients, accused of being Tren de Aragua members, had not been provided access to legal representation and denied the charges, with ongoing legal disputes in U.S. courts over the deportations centered on due process violations.
