Venezuela Accuses U.S. of ‘Kidnapping’ Citizens in Controversial Deportation to El Salvador

Venezuela has formally protested the deportation of 238 Venezuelan citizens by the United States to El Salvador, denouncing the move as a “kidnapping” and demanding the migrants’ immediate return. President Nicolás Maduro’s government contends the individuals were denied due process and falsely accused of gang affiliations without credible evidence.

In March 2025, the U.S., under President Donald Trump, deported over 200 Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador, alleging ties to the Tren de Aragua criminal organization. The deportations went ahead despite a temporary federal court injunction blocking the removals. The individuals were transferred to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a maximum-security prison known for its austere conditions and mass incarceration tactics. Human rights groups have condemned the deportations as arbitrary and in violation of international norms.

“These young people were deceived, handcuffed, put on a plane, kidnapped, and sent to a concentration camp,”

Maduro said in a televised address. He emphasized that the migrants had committed no crimes in the United States and were stripped of legal counsel. His government says it will formally petition El Salvador for their return, backed by a petition reportedly signed by millions of Venezuelans.

Lawyers representing the deportees have filed habeas corpus petitions before El Salvador’s Supreme Court, challenging the legal basis for their detention. They argue the incarcerations violate both domestic and international human rights protections. But legal observers remain skeptical, citing the Salvadoran judiciary’s alignment with President Nayib Bukele’s administration.

Bukele, who has made international headlines for his hardline anti-gang policies, has defended the detentions, maintaining the deportees are affiliated with Tren de Aragua. He proposed a prisoner exchange: the return of the Venezuelan nationals in exchange for 252 political prisoners currently held in Venezuela. The Maduro government has not publicly responded to the offer, and the details remain unclear.

President Trump has openly dismissed legal challenges lashing out at the judiciary for attempting to block the deportations. In a recent statement, he criticized federal judges as “weak and ineffective,” warning that legal interference in immigration policy was “putting America in danger.” The comments have drawn rebuke from legal scholars who say the administration is undermining judicial independence.

The deportations were carried out under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, a rarely used wartime statute that the Trump administration has invoked in many recent months to justify expedited removals. Legal experts say its application in peacetime is unprecedented and likely unconstitutional.

The case is expected to escalate international legal scrutiny of the U.S.’s use of emergency executive powers and El Salvador’s detention practices. Venezuela’s appeal to global courts could signal a broader legal confrontation over migration, sovereignty, and the weaponization of deportation in an increasingly polarized geopolitical climate.