Headline Roundup • July 19th, 2025
Prisoner Swap Frees 10 Americans Detained in Venezuela
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Ten U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela are returning home as part of a prisoner swap that also included the release of Salvadoran and Venezuelan inmates held in both countries.
The Details: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that 10 Americans detained in Venezuela are returning to the United States as part of a three-way prisoner swap involving the United States, Venezuela and El Salvador. Under the deal, El Salvador freed 252 Venezuelans held in its notorious CECOT maximum security prison. In exchange, Venezuela released the Americans along with dozens of Venezuelan political prisoners and agreed to receive Salvadoran inmates from El Salvador.
For Context: In March, the Trump administration deported Venezuelans to El Salvador, alleging they were members of the Tren de Aragua criminal organization. Officials invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act—a wartime law that allows deportation without standard immigration procedures—to carry out the removals. Families and attorneys of several deportees disputed the gang ties, citing clean criminal records and pending asylum claims.
How the Media Covered It: The Associated Press (Left bias) emphasized the prisoner swap, noting the Americans had arrived in El Salvador. Newsweek (Center) highlighted that the Americans detained in Venezuela were part of the exchange. Fox News (Right) focused on their return, citing the Trump administration’s role in the release and providing additional context on alleged criminal activity by the deported Venezuelans.
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Featured Coverage of this Story
Venezuela on Friday released 10 jailed U.S. citizens and permanent residents in exchange for getting home scores of migrants deported by the United States to El Salvador months ago under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, officials said.
The complex, three-country arrangement represents a diplomatic achievement for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, helps President Donald Trump in his goal of bringing home Americans jailed abroad and lands Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele a swap that he proposed months ago.
Alex Peña/Getty Images
Americans held in Venezuela will be included in a prisoner exchange with El Salvador, home to the supermax prison known as CECOT where the U.S. has deported hundreds of illegal migrants.
Newsweek understands that at least some of the Venezuelan immigrants sent to CECOT in March were on board flights headed to their home country Friday afternoon.
"Well, there were already rumors that a flight from El Salvador was leaving in a few hours," Danielvi Henriquez, sister of one of the deported Venezuelans Wilvenson Guevara Munoz, told Newsweek Friday.
U.S. Department of State via X
Ten Americans are returning to the U.S. after being released from custody in Venezuela, the Secretary of State said on Friday.
"Thanks to President [Donald] Trump’s leadership and commitment to the American people, the United States welcomes home ten Americans who were detained in Venezuela," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. "Until today, more Americans were wrongfully held in Venezuela than any other country in the world. It is unacceptable that Venezuelan regime representatives arrested and jailed U.S. nationals under highly questionable circumstances and without proper due process. Every wrongfully detained...
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