BREAKING: In exchange for the release of “political prisoners” held by Venezuela, President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador proposed on Sunday that 252 Venezuelans who had been deported from the United States and were currently incarcerated in his country be sent to Venezuela

On Sunday, President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador proposed the transfer of 252 Venezuelans who were deported from the United States and incarcerated in his country to Venezuela in exchange for the acceptance of “political prisoners” held by Venezuela.

Bukele requested that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro surrender 252 “of the political prisoners you are holding” in a post on X, as part of his proposed agreement.

The Salvadoran leader did not specify whether the detainees would be incarcerated again following the exchange.

A request for comment was not responded to by Venezuela’s Ministry of Communication.

Bukele proposed the release of journalist Roland Carreno, human rights counsel Rocio San Miguel, and Corina Parisca de Machado, the mother of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina, from Venezuela.

He also mentioned nearly 50 detainees of other nationalities, such as U.S., German, and French citizens, as part of the proposed exchange.

Bukele stated that the proposal would be duly presented to the Venezuelan government through diplomatic channels by his Foreign Ministry.

The administration of President Donald Trump deported at least 200 Venezuelans from the United States to El Salvador last month, alleging that they were members of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang. The United States is providing El Salvador with $6 million in compensation for the detention of migrants in its high-security Terrorism Confinement Centre.

The Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2024, is being addressed by Nayib Bukele, the President of El Salvador, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Centre. He stated that Machado is the target of daily threats at her residence.

According to the Venezuelan government, there are no political prisoners and that those who are incarcerated have been convicted of offences. Nevertheless, non-governmental organisations assert that over 800 individuals are being held for political reasons.

The Venezuelan government has refuted the assertion that the Venezuelans deported by the United States are affiliated with gangs. Lawyers and relatives of the detainees have also maintained that the migrants are not affiliated with criminal organisations.

In response to the American Civil Liberties Union’s emergency request for intervention, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay on Saturday, provisionally prohibiting the Trump administration from deporting an additional group of Venezuelan migrants who were accused of gang affiliations under a rarely employed wartime law.

Upon further examination of the matter, the Trump administration urged the Supreme Court to reject the ACLU’s request on behalf of the migrants. White House officials stated that the president is still dedicated to his immigration enforcement, but they did not provide any indication that the administration would challenge the court’s ruling.