El Salvador-Venezuela Prisoner Swap Sparks Tensions

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele proposed a prisoner exchange to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, offering to repatriate 252 Venezuelans deported from the US and held in El Salvador's high-security CECOT prison in exchange for the release of an equal number of political prisoners from Venezuela. The detainees in El Salvador, accused by US and Salvadoran authorities of gang ties, have had their criminal links questioned by lawyers and investigations. Bukele's proposal includes high-profile opposition figures, journalists, family members of dissidents, and nearly 50 detainees of other nationalities. Venezuela, led by Maduro and its prosecutor’s office, rejected the offer as 'cynical' and 'neofascist,' demanding proof of life and legal status for the Venezuelans, and accused El Salvador and the US of human rights violations. The dispute comes amid controversy over the US deportation program, raising legal and humanitarian concerns about detainee treatment and criminal records. This situation underscores broader tensions over migration, human rights, and political repression between the two countries.