Payam Javan: In a significant diplomatic achievement, Venezuela has released ten jailed U.S. citizens and permanent residents as part of a complex, three-country prisoner exchange. This deal, also involving El Salvador, saw the return of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants who had been deported by the United States to El Salvador under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the release of the Americans, emphasizing that all wrongfully detained U.S. citizens in Venezuela are now free and back in their homeland.

The intricate arrangement involved El Salvador handing over Venezuelan nationals, many accused of gang affiliations, who were being held in its notorious CECOT prison. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele stated that his government proposed this swap months ago, securing the release of a “considerable number of Venezuelan political prisoners” in addition to the American citizens. This exchange marks a notable development in the relationship between the involved nations, bringing home detainees and deported migrants amidst ongoing international negotiations.