Ten Americans returned home Friday in a prisoner exchange involving the United States, Venezuela, and El Salvador.
Senior administration officials said the Americans were freed from Venezuela in exchange for El Salvador returning 252 Venezuelans who had been deported from the U.S. and sent to a notorious Salvadoran prison earlier this year.
Ten Americans are are their way home from detention in Venezuela! Thanks to @POTUS, @SecRubio, @usembassyve, @aboehler and many others for your support bringing Americans home pic.twitter.com/0lnxkBEZ9S
— Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (@StateSPEHA) July 18, 2025
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the operation marked the release of all Americans wrongfully detained in Venezuela. “Every wrongfully detained American in Venezuela is now free and back in our homeland,” Rubio said in a statement.
Thanks to @POTUS’s leadership, ten Americans who were detained in Venezuela are on their way to freedom.
I want to thank my team at the @StateDept & especially President @nayibbukele for helping secure an agreement for the release of all of our American detainees, plus the…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 18, 2025
“I want to thank my team at the State Department and especially [Salvadoran] President Nayib Bukele for helping secure an agreement that led to the release of all our American detainees, along with Venezuelan political prisoners,” Rubio further wrote on X.
The Americans freed include Wilbert Joseph Castaneda, a Navy SEAL veteran; Lucas Hunter, a finance worker and kite surfer; and eight others: Jorge Marcelo Vargas, Jonathan Pagan Gonzalez, Ronald Oribio Quintana, Erick Oribio Quintana, Fabian Buglione Reyes, Renzo Humanchumo Castillo, Juan Jose Faria Bricen, and Danud Hanid Ortiz.
On Saturday, Bukele confirmed his country’s role in the exchange, writing on X:
“Today, we have handed over all the Venezuelan nationals detained in our country, accused of being part of the criminal organization Tren de Aragua,” Bukele said. “Many of them face multiple charges of murder, robbery, rape, and other serious crimes.”
“As was offered to the Venezuelan government, this was done in exchange for a considerable number of Venezuelan political prisoners … as well as all the American citizens it was holding as hostages,” Bukele added.
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
