Ten American Detainees Released from Venezuela
On Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that ten American detainees have been freed from Venezuela and are on their way back home.
Rubio expressed gratitude on social media for the efforts that led to this outcome, thanking the President and the State Department team for their role in the negotiations. He particularly highlighted President Nayib Bukele’s contributions in securing the release agreement involving American detainees and Venezuelan political prisoners.
In a reciprocal arrangement, El Salvador agreed to return Venezuelans detained there, confirming this exchange via a social media post.
Thank you for @POTUS leadership, 10 Americans detained in Venezuela are heading for freedom. I want to thank the team of @statedep and especially President @nayibbukele for helping secure the agreement for the release of all our American detainees…
– Secretary Marco Rubio
President Bukele indicated that all Venezuelan citizens accused of connections to the criminal organization Tren de Aragua were handed over as part of the arrangement. Many of these individuals have serious charges against them, including murder, robbery, and rape.
The exchange was framed as a significant move, as it also involved releasing Venezuelan political prisoners who had been incarcerated for years. Bukele noted that the individuals are now on their way to El Salvador for a brief stop before heading home.
Bukele elaborated that this operation stemmed from extensive negotiations with the Venezuelan government, which he described as a tyrannical regime that has long held hostages as negotiation leverage.
Today we have extradited all Venezuelan citizens detained in our country and are accused of being part of the criminal organization Tren de Aragua. Many of them face multiple serious charges.
He credited the success of this effort to the persistent work of officials from both the U.S. and El Salvador, and noted, almost reverently, it was also achieved through divine intervention.
This announcement comes after the Trump administration had previously advocated for the release of U.S. Air Force veteran Joseph St. Clair, who had been detained since November 2024. Earlier in February, Venezuela released six American detainees following a meeting between Trump envoy Richard Grenell and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, where the importance of reclaiming U.S. citizens with criminal backgrounds was discussed.
