WASHINGTON − Secretary of State Marco Rubio said 10 Americans detained in Venezuela have been released, exchanged for Venezuelans detained in El Salvador.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, in a July 18 post on X, said those freed in Venezuela were en route to El Salvador from where they would continue “their journey home.”
“Today, thanks to President Trump’s leadership and commitment to the American people, the United States welcomes home ten Americans who were detained in Venezuela,” Rubio said in a statement. “Until today, more Americans were wrongfully held in Venezuela than any other country in the world.”
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“I want to thank my team at the @StateDep & especially President @nayibbukele for helping secure an agreement for the release of all of our American detainees, plus the release of Venezuelan political prisoners,” Rubio said in a post on X.
Rubio later said the Trump administration “continues to support the restoration of democracy in Venezuela. The regime’s use of unjust detention as a tool of political repression must end.”
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Venezuela frees Americans in trade for jailed migrants in El Salvador
