The United States and Venezuela carried out a significant prisoner exchange this week, marking the largest such swap under President Donald Trump’s current term.
According to reports in American media that surfaced on Friday, 252 Venezuelan migrants—previously deported from the United States and held at El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT)—were released and repatriated to Venezuela. In exchange, the Venezuelan government released 10 U.S. citizens and permanent residents who had been imprisoned in the country.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele confirmed that the deal also included the release of dozens of Venezuelan political prisoners, making the scope of the agreement broader than initially disclosed.
Among those released was former U.S. Navy SEAL Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez, who was detained in Caracas on August 28, 2024. Venezuelan authorities accused him of participating in a plot to overthrow or assassinate President Nicolás Maduro. Washington and Gomez, however, have consistently maintained that he was in Venezuela on a personal visit to see a friend.
Also freed was Lucas Hunter, a dual U.S.-French citizen arrested in January 2025 for allegedly engaging in “suspicious activities,” according to Venezuelan officials. Details about the other Americans and U.S. permanent residents released remain scarce, though some are believed to have been among the country’s political detainees who held U.S. citizenship or green cards.
This week's exchange is the second prisoner swap between the U.S. and Venezuela since President Trump returned to office. A smaller swap took place on January 31st, when six Americans were released from Venezuelan custody.
Tensions between Washington and Caracas remain high. President Trump was the first world leader to officially recognize opposition figure Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate president in 2019 and supported an unsuccessful coup attempt later that April. Since retaking office in 2025, Trump has reinstated sanctions on Venezuela as part of a renewed “maximum pressure” campaign. The reimposed sanctions have led Western oil firms to sever ties with Caracas after having resumed limited operations under former President Joe Biden.