Salvadoran President Bukele proposes prisoner swap with Maduro for Venezuelan deportees

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele projected carrying retired a captive swap with Venezuela connected Sunday, suggesting helium would speech Venezuelan deportees from the United States his authorities has kept imprisoned for what helium called “political prisoners” successful Venezuela.

In a station connected the societal media level X, directed astatine Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Bukele listed disconnected a fig of household members of high-level absorption figures successful Venezuela, journalists and activists detained during the South American government’s electoral crackdown past year.

“The lone crushed they are imprisoned is for having opposed you and your electoral fraud,” helium wrote to Maduro. “However, I privation to suggest a humanitarian statement that includes the repatriation of 100% of the 252 Venezuelans who were deported, successful speech for the merchandise and surrender of an identical fig (252) of the thousands of governmental prisoners you hold.”

Among those helium listed were the son-in-law of erstwhile statesmanlike campaigner Edmundo González, a fig of governmental leaders seeking asylum successful the Argentine embassy successful Venezuela, and what helium said were 50 detained citizens from a fig of antithetic countries crossed the world.

Bukele besides listed the parent of absorption person María Corina Machado, whose location the governmental person has said was surrounded by Venezuelan constabulary successful January.

Bukele said helium would inquire El Salvador's overseas ministry to beryllium successful interaction with the Maduro government, which did not instantly respond to the post.

The connection comes arsenic El Salvador has travel nether crisp planetary scrutiny for accepting Venezuelans and Salvadorans deported by the Trump administration, which accused them of being alleged pack members with small evidence. Deportees are locked up successful a “mega-prison” cognize arsenic the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), built by the Bukele authorities during his crackdown connected the country’s gangs.

Controversy has lone continued aft it was revealed that a Maryland begetter joined to a U.S. citizen, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, was among those deported, and tribunal battles person breached retired warring implicit his return.

El Salvador’s archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas connected Sunday called connected Bukele not “to let our state to go a large planetary prison.”

Despite the controversy, Bukele connected Sunday maintained that each of the radical helium has kept successful the situation were “part of portion of an cognition against gangs similar the Tren de Aragua successful the United States.”