The Trump administration secured the release of ten American citizens from Venezuela on Friday, ending months of captivity under the regime of socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro. In exchange, the U.S. agreed to release over 200 Venezuelan nationals previously sent to El Salvador’s high-security CECOT prison, many of whom were accused of violent crimes.
“Thanks to @POTUS’s leadership, ten Americans who were detained in Venezuela are on their way to freedom,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X. He credited the U.S. State Department and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele for helping finalize the deal. “We’re also grateful for the release of Venezuelan political prisoners who had been held for years without trial.”
Bukele confirmed Friday that El Salvador had turned over all Venezuelan nationals in its custody, noting that many of them were connected to the notorious Tren de Aragua criminal syndicate. “They face serious charges including murder, rape, and robbery,” Bukele said. “Despite their crimes, we agreed to the transfer to bring Americans home.”
Today, we have handed over all the Venezuelan nationals detained in our country, accused of being part of the criminal organization Tren de Aragua (TDA). Many of them face multiple charges of murder, robbery, rape, and other serious crimes.
As was offered to the Venezuelan… pic.twitter.com/teuIT4GiRT
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) July 18, 2025
The freed Americans are scheduled to stop in El Salvador before returning to U.S. soil.
Among those released is former Navy SEAL Wilbert Joseph Castaneda, detained in Venezuela last year. His family praised the administration’s efforts, calling Castaneda an “innocent man used as a political pawn.” They added that service-related traumatic brain injuries impaired his judgment and led him to travel to Venezuela.
Another hostage, Lucas Hunter—a dual American and French citizen—was captured near the Colombia-Venezuela border while on a kite surfing trip. Venezuelan authorities reportedly accused him of espionage.
Photos from the U.S. Embassy in Caracas showed the freed hostages holding American flags, visibly emotional as they prepared to depart the country.
Nothing says freedom like the American flag. Ten Americans freed from Venezuelan prisons today are coming home because of @POTUS, @SecRubio & @nayibbukele.
America First in action. pic.twitter.com/pc6bI0Wgnx
— Embajada de los EE.UU., Venezuela (@usembassyve) July 18, 2025
This marks the second major hostage release under President Trump’s second term. In January, six Americans were returned from Venezuela after similarly grueling detainment. Some of them later revealed they were subjected to beatings and psychological abuse.
The Biden-era sanctions on Venezuela—targeting its oil sector and key officials—remain in place, though the Trump administration has signaled that continued pressure will be tied to further progress on releasing U.S. citizens and political prisoners.