Latest news with #Venezuela
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Venezuelans deported by Trump to brutal El Salvador prison are transferred to Caracas in exchange for Americans
Dozens of Venezuelans that Donald Trump had deported to a brutal prison in El Salvador have been sent back to their home country under a bilateral deal to secure the release of Americans locked up in Venezuela. Under the deal, more than 200 Venezuelans summarily deported to El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, were flown to Caracas on Friday. In exchange, the Venezuelan government delivered five U.S. citizens and five lawful permanent residents back to American custody. The prisoner swap follows the Trump administration's allegedly bungled efforts to try to release Americans imprisoned in Venezuela in exchange for sending home dozens of men that the administration accused of being Tren de Aragua gang members. The release of Venezuelans who have been imprisoned at the facility for more than four months could also potentially expose what they experienced inside and what conditions are like for hundreds of people languishing inside the notorious prison. So far, only one person deported from the United States to CECOT has made it back. The Trump administration negotiated a deal for the release of American prisoners in Venezuela in exchange for dozens of Venezuelans who were deported from the United States to a brutal prison in El Salvador (EL SALVADOR'S PRESIDENCY PRESS OFFICE) Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran father who was living in Maryland, was abruptly returned to the United States after a weeks-long court battle over his arrest and removal. Administration officials initially said he was deported by mistake before repeatedly insisting the U.S. government no longer had jurisdiction over him. Last month, he was returned to face a federal criminal indictment in Tennessee accusing him of smuggling immigrants across the country. A recent court filing detailed for the first time what current conditions at the Salvadoran prison are like for the dozens of Venezuelan immigrants still inside. Abrego Garcia was subject to 'severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation, inadequate nutrition, and psychological torture' at the facility, according to his attorneys. El Salvador President Nayib Bukele confirmed the prisoner exchange on Friday afternoon, saying his administration 'handed over all the Venezuelan nationals detained in our country, accused of being part of the criminal organization Tren de Aragua.' The exchange includes 'a considerable number of Venezuelan political prisoners, people that regime had kept in its prisons for years, as well as all the American citizens it was holding as hostages,' he said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Americans are 'on their way to freedom' as he thanked the State Department and Bukele's administration 'for helping secure an agreement for the release of all of our American detainees, plus the release of Venezuelan political prisoners.' Despite the Trump administration's claims that deportees sent to the notorious maximum-security prison were no longer the responsibility of the United States, officials have been using them as a bargaining chip in a weeks-in-the-making prisoner exchange. But those competing negotiations, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in one camp and presidential envoy Richard Grenell in another, had appeared to fall apart until Friday's alleged breakthrough. CECOT, branded a 'tropical gulag' by human rights groups, is the largest prison in Latin America, which the Trump administration has contracted to detain dozens of alleged Tren de Aragua members deported from the United States (POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Their return had been a long-standing demand of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has accused Nayib Bukele's regime and the Trump administration of committing human rights abuses by locking up immigrants in the Salvadoran prison, labelled by humanitarian groups as a 'tropical gulag' and concentration camp. Roughly 250 Venezuelans were deported to El Salvador's brutal Terrorism Confinement Center beginning March 15, when Trump invoked a centuries-old wartime law that labelled alleged Tren de Aragua gang members 'alien enemies' who could be removed from the country without due process. The White House claims that Maduro directed an 'invasion' of gang members into the country — contradicting reports from U.S. intelligence agencies. Government attorneys argued that the United States no longer has jurisdiction over deportees after ignoring emergency court orders that blocked their arrival in El Salvador. But Salvadoran authorities recently told the United Nations that the 'legal responsibility for these people lie exclusively' with the U.S. government. Bukele had first hinted at prospects of a 'humanitarian agreement' with the countries in April, weeks after agreeing to imprison U.S. deportees in CECOT. Venezuelan officials, meanwhile, had dismissed the proposal and demanded the return of their 'kidnapped' countrymen. Several federal judges have temporarily blocked immigration officials from deporting more Venezuelan migrants under the Alien Enemies Act, teeing up yet another Supreme Court battle challenging the president's sweeping executive actions related to his anti-immigration agenda. Lawyers for deported immigrants inside CECOT have argued for class-action relief, which would give them an opportunity to challenge allegations against them in court. 'Significant evidence has come to light indicating that many of those currently entombed in CECOT have no connection to the gang and thus languish in a foreign prison on flimsy, even frivolous, accusations,' District Judge James Boasberg wrote last month.
Times
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Richard Osman and Ingrid Oliver: ‘I had an inkling we'd get together'
I've always been convinced that the right person was out there for me. I have two twentysomething children from a previous relationship, but before I met Ingrid I'd never been married. I'd spent years in therapy dealing with food addiction, feeling too tall, feeling like I couldn't see anything and feeling shame that in Brian Wilson's words, 'I wasn't made for these times.' I got to a point where I was happy in myself and my work but my therapist said, 'You won't finish your journey until you're in a relationship.' He was right. I've always wanted to be part of a team. I was aware of Ingrid from social media and thought she was very funny, but beyond a single tweet we'd never communicated. I asked our mutual friend, the comedian Lou Sanders, to check if Ingrid was available. She wasn't. Twelve months later, in 2021, Ingrid was a guest on my quiz show House of Games. This time Lou told me Ingrid was available, so I spent a long day in front of the cameras desperately trying not to flirt. I made eye contact less with her than any other guest ever. Unlike most couples, though, I do have a record of the first thing I ever said to my soulmate: 'I'm looking for two rhyming answers. A musical instrument filled with rice played by shaking, and the capital of Venezuela.' Ingrid buzzed in. 'Maracas and Caracas.' I was instantly smitten. She was beautiful, funny and clever. I got her phone number that night and we've been in each other's pockets ever since. I was writing my third novel then, The Bullet That Missed, and I dedicated it to Ingrid with the words 'I was waiting for you'. My dad walked out when I was nine, and Ingrid has a complex family history. I felt as though we'd both been through the mire and earned the right to be happy. We're both very sensitive people who grew up without a sense of emotional stability, which is why we're perfect for each other. People talk about compatibility and chemistry but it's also important to need the same thing and understand each other's foibles. You like someone because of their strengths but you fall in love with them because of their weaknesses, and if you can help with each other's, you've got it made. Ingrid moved in with me a few months after we met and we got married the following year. It was the best day of my life. I knew that the bride walking down the aisle is traditionally the big moment but I thought, that's wasting a bit of bang for your buck, so I walked in first with my children to Lose Yourself by Eminem: 'You only get one shot; do not miss your chance to blow.' Ingrid followed to the Beatles' Long and Winding Road and everyone was in floods of tears. (Ingrid and I are regularly in tears ourselves, whether it's over West Side Story, Top Gun: Maverick or Interior Design Masters.) • Richard Osman: 'I'm genuinely, proudly middlebrow' It's been joyous to see how our families have blended. Ingrid had some really bad examples of what step-parents can be and has been wary. My daughter and her boyfriend joined us in Italy recently with Ingrid's brother and they all get along really well, and now I've got incredible nieces and nephews too. My supercool brother, Mat, is the bass guitarist from Suede and the real talent of the family; they had all those No 1s in the Nineties. The Thursday Murder Club is the first thing I've created that has topped the charts, and I'm really proud of that. Ingrid has totally nailed the character of Joanna in the film of the book. I'm in awe of her acting ability. And her quizzing skills, her writing prowess and her ability to speak other languages. I've lived most of my life on the back foot but because of Ingrid I no longer have to. My parents got married eight times in total between them — including once to each other — so like Richard I experienced a lot of uncertainty growing up. I'd seen marriages not working, so I never wanted to make that commitment unless I knew for sure. When Richard first asked Lou if I was single, I was. I was aware of him from Twitter and the telly, and I thought he was a lovely, kind, clever man, but I'd decided to try IVF and thought, I can't do this if I'm dating. But even then — and I don't want to sound stalkerish — I had an inkling we'd get together later. I tried IVF three times (it was brutal) before accepting defeat. When Richard got back in touch, I'd made my peace with that process and was ready to move on. I love House of Games, so I was excited to appear on the show. We knew we liked each other by that point so it was sort of, 'Oh my God, this is actually happening.' I remember feeling slightly sick and trying not to flirt; no one wants to see that. I was trying to impress him with my quizzing, and because he's such a pro I couldn't tell if he was making eyes at me or not, but we swapped numbers after the show. I just knew immediately. We were both beyond game-playing, and simply started a conversation that has never stopped. Our wedding was amazing. His son did a quiz, and what's happened with our families since has been wonderful. Before we met, I'd discussed not being able to have children with my therapist; they said, 'Families can come in many forms.' Now I feel so lucky. There are moments when our families are together I could weep. I love Richard's height, his humour and that we can talk about anything. He's incredibly relaxed, whereas I'm a catastrophiser and still think, this won't last — maybe he'll get hit by a car or I'll get cancer. I'm trying to manage it and he's helping me with it, bless him. • Richard Osman and his pop star brother: Mum is finally proud Working on The Thursday Murder Club film was surreal. He had no idea I'd been cast — there was certainly no phone call to get me the part. It's been such fun and when I got home after filming with Chris Columbus, who wrote the screenplay for one of my favourite movies of all time, The Goonies, I just cried. I came up with the title The Bullet That Missed but otherwise Richard gets on with his writing. Often he wakes up at 5am with ideas whirring round his head. I wake up thinking, he's still here. Not that I'm worried he'll leave, I'm just genuinely excited to see him every morning — I know that's so lame. I've always been very independent and happy to eat out or holiday alone, but my life is 100 per cent more fulfilling now with Richard. I've no idea what the future holds. We're always looking at Rightmove — maybe we'll move to Italy in the middle of nowhere. It doesn't matter what happens as long as we're Thursday Murder Club is out on August 22. Oliver is a judge of the Comedy Women in Print prize ( Richard on IngridHer go-to karaoke song, Rock Me Amadeus, in full German, is an absolute barnstormer Ingrid on RichardBecause of his eye condition, nystagmus, I drive. I use the satnav but he'll spend the whole journey checking the route on his phone
New York Times
8 hours ago
- New York Times
A Kite Surfer, Navy SEAL and Makeup Artist: Freed in a U.S.-Venezuela Swap
A kite surfer on a South American adventure. A Navy SEAL whose family said he had traveled south for romance. A gay makeup artist who fled north for a better life. A man who sold bicycle parts for meager wages in Venezuela, before leaving for the United States. All of these men were part of a large-scale prisoner swap conducted Friday between the United States and Venezuela's governments. The deal exchanged 10 Americans and U.S. permanent residents seized by the Venezuelan government for 252 Venezuelan immigrants the United States had deported to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. The men came from very different backgrounds. The American kite surfer, Lucas Hunter, 37, worked in finance in London and had gone on vacation in Colombia, where his family says he was nabbed by the Venezuelan authorities near the Colombia-Venezuela border. The Navy SEAL, Wilbert Castañeda, 37, spent his adult life in the U.S. military and had gone to Venezuela to see a romantic partner, according to his brother. The Venezuelans, according to many of their families, had traveled to the United States for far different reasons. Many had trekked from South America through a dangerous jungle called the Darién Gap, seeking to escape an economic crisis and a repressive government. The makeup artist, Andry Hernández Romero, fled persecution for his political opinions and sexual orientation, according to his lawyers. The seller of bicycle parts, Alirio Belloso, 30, left because he could not afford school supplies for his 8-year-old daughter or medicine for his diabetic mother, according to his wife. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Migrants freed from El Salvador reach Venezuela in US prisoner deal
Hundreds of Venezuelans swept up in President Donald Trump's immigration dragnet reached home Friday after their release from a maximum security Salvadoran jail as part of a prisoner swap with the United States. The 252 men were accused -- without evidence -- of being gang members and flown to the notorious CECOT "anti-terror" jail in March. There, they were shackled, shorn and paraded before cameras -- becoming emblematic of Trump's immigration crackdown and drawing howls of protest. On Friday, after months of legal challenges and political stonewalling, the men arrived at an airport near Caracas, with several walking down the steps with their arms raised and one even kissing the tarmac. The Trump administration said they were released in exchange for 10 Americans or US residents held in Venezuela, and "political prisoners," who number 80, according to El Salvador President Nayib Bukele. The migrants' return to Venezuela sparked tearful celebrations among family members who had heard nothing from them in months. "I don't have words to explain how I feel!" said Juan Yamarte. "My brother (Mervin) is back home, back in Venezuela." Mervin's mother told AFP she could not contain her happiness. "I arranged a party and I'm making a soup," she said. The men had been deported from the United States under rarely used wartime powers and denied court hearings. Exiled Salvadoran rights group Cristosal believes that just seven of the 252 men had criminal records. Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro thanked Trump for "the decision to rectify this totally irregular situation." - 'Hard to negotiate' - The Americans and US residents released in Venezuela, whose identities have not been officially revealed, were taken to San Salvador on their way to the United States and appeared with Bukele and US hostage envoy Adam Boehler at a ceremony at the presidential palace. A video posted on X by Bukele shows the former detainees waving US flags as they descended from their aircraft. "It is hard to negotiate with a tyrannical regime really, but we were able to do it," Bukele said. "We have been in these negotiations trying to set (not just) you -- all of you -- free, but also 80 political prisoners from Venezuela." For his part, Boehler thanked Bukele for being "an unbelievable friend" to the United States. Families in the United States were also excited to see their loved ones return. One had been imprisoned for nearly a year. Global Reach, an NGO that works for wrongly detained Americans, said one of the men freed was 37-year-old Lucas Hunter, held since he was "kidnapped" by Venezuelan border guards while vacationing in Colombia in January. "We cannot wait to see him in person and help him recover from the ordeal," it quoted his younger sister Sophie Hunter as saying. Uruguay said one of its citizens, a resident in the United States, was among those liberated after nine months in Venezuelan detention. Another plane arrived at Maiquetia airport earlier Friday from Houston with 244 Venezuelans deported from the United States and seven children, who Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said had been "rescued from the kidnapping to which they were being subjected." The children were among 30 who Caracas says remained in the US after their Venezuelan parents were deported. Clamping down on migrants is a flagship pursuit of Trump's administration, which has ramped up raids and deportations. Washington has agreed with Maduro to send undocumented Venezuelans back home, and flights have been arriving near daily also from Mexico, where many got stuck trying to enter the United States. Official figures show that since February, more than 8,200 people have been repatriated to Venezuela from the United States and Mexico, including some 1,000 children. The Venezuelans detained in El Salvador had no right to phone calls or visits, and their relatives unsuccessfully requested proof of life. Bukele had CECOT built as part of his war on criminal gangs, but he agreed to receive millions of dollars from the United States to house the Venezuelans there. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other rights groups have denounced the detentions. burs-arb/abs/rsc Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maduro celebrates return of Venezuelans held in El Salvador maximum security prison
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appeared triumphant on Friday, celebrating the return to Venezuela of migrants held in El Salvador after being deported from the U.S., after Venezuela released 10 jailed Americans on Friday in exchange. (AP video/Andry Rincon and Juan Arraez)
