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In a dramatic and politically sensitive move, the U.S. secured the release of 10 American citizens from Venezuela on Friday through a three-way prisoner swap that also involved El Salvador. Among those freed was former Navy SEAL Wilbert Joseph Castaneda, who had been detained in Venezuela last year during what his family called a misguided personal trip.
The exchange, confirmed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, came in return for the deportation of 252 Venezuelans previously sent from the U.S. to El Salvador, many of whom the Trump administration alleged were members of the transnational criminal gang Tren de Aragua.
“We have prayed for this day for almost a year,” Castaneda’s family said in a statement. “My brother is an innocent man who was used as a political pawn by the Maduro regime.” They noted that Castaneda, a veteran of 18 years in the Navy, suffers from traumatic brain injuries that impaired his decision-making.
The prisoner swap marks a significant diplomatic move for the Trump administration, which has faced mounting criticism over its aggressive deportation policies and strained relations with Venezuela.
“Every wrongfully detained American in Venezuela is now free and back in our homeland,” Rubio said in a statement, crediting what he called “President Trump’s leadership and commitment to the American people.”
The freed Americans posed with U.S. diplomat John McNamara in a photo posted by the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela, symbolizing the end of their detention under Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
As part of the same agreement, Venezuela also released dozens of political prisoners—an outcome celebrated by the Salvadoran and U.S. governments. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, a vocal Trump ally, confirmed his country handed over all Venezuelans accused of ties to Tren de Aragua who were being held in El Salvador’s notorious “Terrorism Confinement Center,” or CECOT.
“The Salvadoran government initiated this swap proposal in April,” Bukele said on X, formerly Twitter. “This is a win for diplomacy, humanitarian action, and justice.”
The Trump administration had invoked the rarely used 18th-century Alien Enemies Act in March to expedite the deportation of over 200 Venezuelan men, many without criminal records, according to a 60 Minutes investigation. Families of the deportees have publicly denied any gang affiliation, and the Supreme Court recently paused further deportations while legal challenges proceed.
Venezuela, in turn, blasted El Salvador’s treatment of its citizens, calling CECOT a “concentration camp” and celebrating their return as a victory against what it called “forced disappearances.”
A senior U.S. official described the deal as going “down to the wire,” with a last-minute delay by Venezuela interpreted as a “power flex.” The flight carrying the freed Americans left Venezuelan airspace Friday afternoon, narrowly avoiding what officials called “another standoff.”
The administration emphasized that the deal was strictly humanitarian. “There was no discussion of sanctions,” said a senior official, despite the timing coming one day after new U.S. sanctions were imposed on six Tren de Aragua affiliates.
The deal underscores a precarious diplomatic balancing act, with Trump and Rubio both framing the release as a victory while sidestepping broader concerns about the legality and ethics of the mass deportations that enabled it.
Still, for the families of the Americans now returning home, the politics are secondary. “We’re just grateful he’s safe,” Castaneda’s sister said in a phone interview. “That’s all that matters right now.”
