Migrants freed from El Salvador reach Venezuela
Published: 04:07 PM,Jul 19,2025 | EDITED : 08:07 PM,Jul 19,2025
Venezuelan migrants get off a plane at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia. — AFP
MAIQUETIA: Hundreds of Venezuelans swept up in President Donald Trump's immigration dragnet reached home after their release from a maximum security Salvadoran jail as part of a prisoner swap with the United States. The 252 men were accused of being gang members and flown to the notorious CECOT 'anti-terror' jail in March. There, they were shackled, shorn and paraded before cameras — becoming emblematic of Trump's immigration crackdown and drawing howls of protest.
On Friday, after months of legal challenges and political stonewalling, the men arrived at an airport near Caracas, with several walking down the steps with their arms raised and one even kissing the tarmac. The Trump administration said they were released in exchange for 10 Americans or US residents held in Venezuela, and 'political prisoners,' who number 80, according to El Salvador President Nayib Bukele. The migrants' return to Venezuela sparked tearful celebrations among family members who had heard nothing from them in months. The Americans and US residents released in Venezuela were taken to San Salvador on their way to the United States. — AFP
On Friday, after months of legal challenges and political stonewalling, the men arrived at an airport near Caracas, with several walking down the steps with their arms raised and one even kissing the tarmac. The Trump administration said they were released in exchange for 10 Americans or US residents held in Venezuela, and 'political prisoners,' who number 80, according to El Salvador President Nayib Bukele. The migrants' return to Venezuela sparked tearful celebrations among family members who had heard nothing from them in months. The Americans and US residents released in Venezuela were taken to San Salvador on their way to the United States. — AFP