American Detainees Released from Venezuela

On Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that 10 American detainees have been freed from Venezuela and are en route back to the United States.

“Thanks to the President, ten Americans detained in Venezuela are heading for freedom,” Rubio shared in a post on X.

He expressed gratitude towards the State Department team and specifically mentioned President Nayib Bukele for their roles in securing the release agreement, which also included the liberation of Venezuelan political prisoners.

In a reciprocal move, El Salvador agreed to return Venezuelans who were detained in exchange for the American detainees, with the Salvadoran President confirming this exchange in a post on X.

“Today, we have handed over all Venezuelan citizens detained in our country, accused of being part of the criminal organization Tren de Aragua (TDA),” he stated. “Many of them face multiple charges, including murder, robbery, and rape.”

“As indicated to the Venezuelan administration back in April, we carried out this exchange for a considerable number of released political prisoners and all American citizens who were held hostage,” he added. “These individuals are now on their way to El Salvador for a brief stop before heading home.”

Bukele noted that the exchange was the culmination of months of negotiations with the Venezuelan government. “This operation is the result of extensive negotiations with a regime that has habitually refused to release hostages, a key bargaining chip,” he detailed.

He added, “But thanks to the relentless efforts of many officials from both the United States and El Salvador, and above all, it was achieved by the Almighty God.”

Previously, the Trump administration had been involved in advocating for the release of U.S. Air Force veteran Joseph St. Clair, who had been detained in Venezuela since November 2024.