What We Know About Americans Freed in Venezuela Prisoner Swap

Newsweek

6 days ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A group of 10 Americans freed in a hostage exchange with Venezuela included a U.S. Navy sailor and a water sports fan, reports say.
When contacted for comment, the U.S. State Department told Newsweek on Saturday that for privacy reasons, the individuals would not be identified nor their cases disclosed.
However, a statement to Newsweek by the Foley Foundation, which advocates for captives held overseas, named four of the U.S. nationals who had been held for months in the South American country. Hostage Aid Worldwide named another two U.S. nationals.
The group was exchanged for more than 250 Venezuelans deported from the U.S. and flown in March to El Salvador's high-security prison.
A detained Venezuelan being assisted off the plane upon arrival at Simon Bolivar International Airport during a prisoner exchange between Venezuela and the U.S. on July 18.
A detained Venezuelan being assisted off the plane upon arrival at Simon Bolivar International Airport during a prisoner exchange between Venezuela and the U.S. on July 18.Why It Matters
The complicated deal involving three countries gives Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro a diplomatic coup, helps U.S. President Donald Trump in his goal of bringing home Americans jailed abroad and offers a political boost to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who proposed the exchange.
What To Know
On Friday, Venezuela released 10 jailed U.S. citizens and permanent residents in exchange for migrants deported by the United States to El Salvador in March under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
Bukele said El Salvador had handed over all the Venezuelan nationals in its custody, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the Americans were being repatriated.
The Foley Foundation named four American citizens: Wilbert Castaneda, who had been in custody for 325 days; Jorge Marcelo Vargas, in prison for 304 days; Renzo Castillo, in prison for 299 days; and Lucas Hunter, in prison for 192 days.
Hostage Aid Worldwide named another two American nationals: Jonathan Pagan González, who was arrested in October, and Fabian Buglione Reyes, a Uruguayan national living in the U.S. who was arrested at a checkpoint in October.
Diane Foley, the founder and president of the Foley Foundation, said in a statement to Newsweek that she applauded "the unprecedented pace set by the Trump administration in securing the release of Americans wrongfully detained around the world."
Castaneda, a former Navy SEAL, had been detained in Venezuela while on personal travel and was later accused of leading a CIA-linked plot, CBS News reported.
In a statement, his family said he had been "used as a political pawn by the Maduro regime," the outlet reported.
Hunter was on a windsurfing and motorcycling trip through Paraguachón, Colombia, near the border with Venezuela, when Venezuelan guards coerced him into crossing and arrested him in January, his family wrote on a website created for him.
Sophie Hunter, his sister, said in a statement via the group Global Reach, "My family and I are so happy to hear that my brother, Lucas, was released by Venezuela today."
A detained Venezuelan arriving at Simon Bolivar International Airport as part of a prisoner swap between Venezuela and the United States on July 18.
A detained Venezuelan arriving at Simon Bolivar International Airport as part of a prisoner swap between Venezuela and the United States on July 18.Central to the exchange were the 250 Venezuelan migrants freed by El Salvador, which had housed them in its notorious Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, after the Trump administration used the Alien Enemies Act to deport them.
The Trump administration accused them of belonging to the Tren de Aragua street gang in a case condemned by rights groups. The deportation resulted in a legal fight that reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
The U.S. State Department released an image of the 10 U.S. nationals and said in a statement on Saturday that the president had made it a priority to bring home Americans being held hostage or wrongfully detained.
"We also welcome the release of Venezuelan political prisoners and detainees from Venezuelan prisons," the statement continued.
It added, "The United States continues to support the restoration of democracy in Venezuela and call for the release of all remaining political prisoners."
What People Are Saying
The U.S. State Department said in a statement: "President Trump has made it a priority to bring home Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained, and the State Department will continue to work to ensure every American held unjustly abroad is released and returned home."
Diane Foley, the founder and president of the Foley Foundation, said in a statement: "We applaud the unprecedented pace set by the Trump administration in securing the release of Americans wrongfully detained around the world. Today's release of 10 U.S. nationals held captive by the Maduro regime extends that record of success."
What Happens Next
The U.S. secretary of state has said every wrongfully detained American in Venezuela is now free and "back in our homeland." However, the fate of the Venezuelans returning home is unclear.
Maduro can use the deal to reaffirm support among his base as he asserts himself as president despite evidence that he lost reelection last year and the U.S. and other nations viewing him as an illegitimate leader.