Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro recently labeled El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele a “low monster” and drew a comparison to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This comment came in the wake of El Salvador’s decision to detain 252 Venezuelan immigrants suspected of ties to the controversial Tren de Aragua organization.
“Nayib Bukele has become a low-level monster. He resembles Netanyahu but on a smaller scale. He’s now overseeing the largest satellite operation seen in Central America for quite some time,” he stated.
Maduro continued, asserting, “The people of El Salvador are aware, as are those across Central America and all of Latin America. Human rights groups are also well aware, yet they tend to only leverage these issues to criticize nations that are independent and anti-imperialist.”
These remarks from Maduro followed the Supreme Court in El Salvador rejecting a plea from the Venezuelan Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, to advocate for the detained Venezuelans. At the heart of this controversy, 252 Venezuelans had been deported from the U.S. to El Salvador under laws invoked by former President Donald Trump.
Maduro’s regime has often claimed that Bukele “invited” these immigrants, and the Venezuelan leadership has drawn stark parallels between the deportations and the persecution faced by Jews during the Nazi era, asserting it is akin to concentration camps. Maduro has expressed his intention to “rescue” those suspected of being part of Tren de Aragua currently imprisoned in El Salvador.
Maduro’s rhetoric also included criticisms of Bukele’s background. He erroneously depicted Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu as “21st century Hitler,” while asserting his own Jewish identity, questioning Netanyahu’s heritage.
“I maintain that Bukele has committed serious violations against these Venezuelans, further reinforcing his status as a human rights violator. We will seek justice; it’s crucial for us,” Maduro claimed.
In a lighthearted counter, President Bukele reacted to Maduro’s comments with laughter emojis on Twitter.
The Salvadoran Supreme Court dismissed Saab’s request, indicating it did not meet necessary criteria and provided a brief window for the Venezuelan legal team to finalize a habeas corpus application concerning the detained immigrants.
In April, Bukele had suggested a “humanitarian agreement” with Maduro, aimed at returning the 252 Venezuelans. This plan also involved other foreigners unjustly detained by the Maduro regime but was promptly rejected. Instead, Maduro’s administration called for the immediate and unconditional release of these detainees.
