On Friday, the United States ordered the release of 252 Venezuelan migrants who were sent to El Salvador to be incarcerated in the country’s terrorism prison (CECOT), countering the White House’s assertion that it no longer had authority over the migrants. In return, Venezuela released 10 U.S. citizens who were held on terrorism charges after being arrested alongside U.S. military weapons being shipped into Venezuela in an alleged coup plot.
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According to NPR, a State Department official said the people freed from Venezuela included U.S. citizens and permanent residents who were "wrongfully detained" despite being connected to weapons smuggling. The list included U.S. Navy sailor Wilbert Joseph Castañeda, who, at the time of his arrest, the Navy said was not on leave and was an active duty soldier. Now, his family alleges he was on vacation along with dual U.S.-French citizen Lucas Hunter. Another man was convicted of a triple murder in Madrid, Spain, and is now in the United States, as reported by El País.
Meanwhile, it appears the migrants who were deported to El Salvador were sent there to be used as bargaining chips with Venezuela to free the coup plotters. As the planes with Venezuelans and U.S. citizens were making their treks, the U.S. also released seven Venezuelan children. As many as 24 are still being held by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The children were separated from their families as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents took their parents into custody for deportation.
“Today is a very special day. We are welcoming seven children who were freed, rescued, thanks to God, thanks to the mobilization of the people, and thanks to the conscience of the Revolutionary Government, which did everything in its power to rescue them,” said first lady Cilia Flores de Maduro. “Just as these children are here today, all children who have been separated from their families will come to Venezuela and be reunited with their families. It is a commitment,” she continued.
While it’s speculative to suggest that the Venezuelan children were part of using 252 migrants as pawns to negotiate the release of 10 U.S. citizens, we should not overlook that children have historically been used as weapons against immigrant parents both socially and politically. An administration that boasts about its cruelty, which it claims is being used as a deterrent, will undoubtedly wrongfully incarcerate children as well as adults in its efforts.
In a press release on Monday, President Maduro insisted, “The 24 children still kidnapped in the United States will also be rescued and returned to their mothers.”
Providing Cover
On Sunday, to distract from making Maduro seem like the hero for playing a major role in ensuring the ten U.S. citizens and 252 Venezuelans can all go home, DHS released a statement titled, “Six Months of Keeping America Safe Under President Trump and Secretary Noem.” While the agency claims many victories using rhetorical devices to create a more impressive impact than occurred, it’s a reminder that most of the Venezuelans sent to CECOT are innocent.
