By Aram Roston and Ted Hesson
WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) – El Salvador’s government will send detained Venezuelans to Caracas in exchange for Americans held in Venezuela, two U.S. government officials told Reuters on Friday.
One of the officials said El Salvador would send 238 Venezuelans held in its maximum security CECOT prison to Caracas and that the Venezuelan government would release five U.S. citizens and five permanent residents to U.S. custody.
The second official confirmed the exchange was taking place and said the figures appeared to be close to what was expected.
The Venezuelan communications ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. State Department declined to comment.
The White House and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab
Suggested Topics:
Aram Roston is an investigative reporter for Reuters, based in Washington, DC. For over two decades, Roston has been breaking major stories and writing investigative features on national security, white collar crime, corruption, privatization, conflict, and evangelicals. Before joining Reuters in 2019 he has written for BuzzFeed News, Newsweek, GQ, Playboy, the New York Times and other publications. His awards include two Emmys, the Daniel Pearl Award for International Investigative journalism, the Scripps Howard prize for investigative journalism, and an Investigative Reporters and Editors award.
Ted Hesson is an immigration reporter for Reuters, based in Washington, D.C. His work focuses on the policy and politics of immigration, asylum and border security. Prior to joining Reuters in 2019, Ted worked for the news outlet POLITICO, where he also covered immigration. His articles have appeared in POLITICO Magazine, The Atlantic and VICE News, among other publications. Ted holds a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and bachelor’s degree from Boston College.
