Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has denounced the deportation of over 200 Venezuelan migrants from the United States to a high-security prison in El Salvador, labeling the action as a “kidnapping” and insisting that those deported are not criminals. He has also voiced support for their return.
“Nayib Bukele should not be an accomplice to this kidnapping, because our boys did not commit any crime in the United States, none,” Maduro told supporters on Wednesday, referring to the president of El Salvador, who has an agreement with US President Donald Trump.
“They were not brought to trial, they were not given the right to a defense, the right to due process, they were deceived, handcuffed, put on a plane, kidnapped, and sent to a concentration camp in El Salvador,” Maduro added.
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Since assuming power in 2013, Maduro has maintained a firm grip on Venezuela’s leadership. He announced that his government would send an official request to El Salvador for the return of the deported Venezuelans, gathering “millions” of signatures from Venezuelan citizens in support of the demand.
Over the weekend, Trump invoked an 18th-century wartime law to deport 238 Venezuelans, claiming they were part of the Tren de Aragua gang, despite a court ruling that sought to block the deportation.
This action has further strained relations between Washington and Caracas. Defending the move, Trump stated that the US was facing an “invasion” of migrants and described those deported as “a bad group of, as I say, hombres.”
Along with the Venezuelans, 23 Salvadorans were also deported under an agreement between the US and El Salvador. They were sent to the Counter-Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in Tecoluca, El Salvador, a facility known for its harsh treatment of prisoners. Human rights organizations have criticized conditions at the prison as inhumane and a violation of human rights.
On Tuesday, Venezuelans took to the streets of Caracas in protest against the deportations. Some demonstrators said they recognized their loved ones in news footage showing the deported individuals. Relatives of the deported men insisted they were not criminals and urged authorities to facilitate their return.
“I celebrate that millions of men and women from Venezuela have come out to support the families of these young Venezuelans with their signatures, to officially demand that the Government of El Salvador free them from this kidnapping, not subject them to humiliation, and return them to us sooner rather than later,” Maduro stated.
The White House has yet to present evidence linking the deported Venezuelans to Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization associated with human trafficking, drug smuggling, and money laundering. In January, Trump designated Tren de Aragua and the Salvadoran MS-13 gang as foreign terrorist organizations.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has defended the deportation, stating that it conducted a thorough review of the individuals to verify their connections to criminal groups. However, the names of those deported have not been disclosed.
Some Venezuelans previously deported by the Trump administration have denied any affiliation with criminal gangs. Daniel Simancas Rodríguez, for instance, claimed he was wrongly targeted due to his tattoos and his origins in Maracay, the gang’s birthplace. He recounted being held for 15 days at Guantanamo Bay before his deportation to Venezuela.
On Wednesday, Maduro instructed his government to increase repatriation flights for Venezuelan migrants detained in the US.
“We are going to return all migrants who have been detained to give them respect, dignity, support, and to return to their homeland and their families,” he stated.
(CNN)
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