The Trump administration secured the release of ten Americans held in Venezuela on Friday in exchange for hundreds of migrants.

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The Daily Wire has the story:

In exchange for the 10 Americans, over 200 Venezuelan migrants that the United States had sent to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison will be released to Venezuela, The New York Times reported.

…

[Salvadoran President] Bukele said on Friday that his government “handed over all the Venezuelan nationals detained in our country, accused of being part of the criminal organization Tren de Aragua (TDA). Many of them face multiple charges of murder, robbery, rape, and other serious crimes.”

The American hostages will make a stop in El Salvador after being released by Venezuela before returning to the United States.

Among the freed hostages are a Navy SEAL and a French citizen nabbed during a kite surfing trip. The ten were seen waving American flags in a photo posted to X:

Nothing says freedom like the American flag. Ten Americans freed from Venezuelan prisons today are coming home because of @POTUS, @SecRubio & @nayibbukele.

America First in action. pic.twitter.com/pc6bI0Wgnx

— Embajada de los EE.UU., Venezuela (@usembassyve) July 18, 2025

While it is always nice to see Americans come home, it is regrettable that Bukele had to free criminals in order to secure the hostages’ release. This shows the danger is negotiating with Venezuela, a country The Daily Wire notes has already been targeted with sanctions “in response to [dictator Nicolas] Maduro’s repression.”

As these ten return home, let’s pray for the release of more prisoners. Let’s also pray for God to move powerfully in any corrupt dictatorship that would imprison American citizens!

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(Excerpt from The Daily Wire. Photo Credit: Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)