International
El Salvador formalizes the proposal for the exchange of Venezuelan deportees, according to Bukele
The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, reiterated on Tuesday the proposal to his counterpart Nicolás Maduro to exchange 252 Venezuelans deported by the United States for an equal number of “political prisoners”, and revealed that the proposal was formally moved through the Salvadoran Foreign Ministry.
“I reiterate our proposal, this time attaching the formal documentation sent to your Foreign Ministry,” Bukele said in a message in X, in which he shared the letter allegedly sent through diplomatic channels.
And he added: “I look forward to your response. And I hope that the Venezuelan people, and the whole world, can see clearly, if they still had any doubts, who you really are.”
The document, dated April 22, indicates that the 252 Venezuelans, accused by the United States of being members of the transnational gang Tren de Aragua, are “under the custody of the Salvadoran prison system” and are imprisoned in the maximum security prison Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot).
It is indicated that these people “are being prosecuted for the commission of several crimes,” without detailing them and if it is under the jurisdiction of the United States or El Salvador.
“In this sense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (of El Salvador), formally transfers a proposal for the total repatriation of the 252 detained Venezuelan citizens, conditioned on the release and delivery, by Venezuela, of an equal number (252) of persons deprived of liberty for political reasons in Venezuelan territory,” the note indicates.
He adds that this includes the release of 50 citizens of different nationalities, such as American, German, Dominican, Argentine, Bolivian, Israeli, Chilean, Colombian, Ecuadorian, Spanish, French, Guyanese, Dutch, Iranian, Italian, Lebanese, Mexican, Peruvian, Puerto Rican, Ukrainian, Uruguayan, Portuguese and Czech.
“If this proposal is considered viable, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (of El Salvador) expresses that it is in a position to enable the necessary channels to technically coordinate the mechanisms for the implementation of this operation, guaranteeing its effective and safe execution,” underlines the letter.
Bukele also questioned Maduro in that message in X: “Did you think an exchange of 30 for 1 was fair, but now you reject an equitable proposal of 1 for 1?, Weren’t you the one who said that you would do ‘everything necessary’ to achieve the release of Venezuelans detained in El Salvador? Does it mean then that he was lying? Was the reception in Miraflores to the relatives of the detainees a simple media show?”
The Bukele Government reiterates, this time in an official document, that these people are in detainees in El Salvador, but without specifying under what regulations.
According to an analysis published by the Bloomberg portal, 90% of the more than 200 men that the US has imprisoned in El Salvador have no criminal record in the United States.
On Monday, the Attorney General of Venezuela, Tarek William Saab, described the proposal made on Sunday by Bukele as “cynical”, while demanding a faith of life of that group of migrants, detained in the Central American nation.
The Administration of Nicolás Maduro, who was sworn in for a third term after his questioned re-election, described on Tuesday as “morally inadmissible” the proposal of the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, to exchange the 252 Venezuelan migrants deported by the United States for the same number of those considered “political prisoners” of the Caribbean country.
Through a letter sent to the Foreign Ministry of El Salvador, the Chavista Administration indicated that the proposal of “illegal exchange” and “morally inadmissible”, aims to condition the release of “innocent people to an exchange by citizens deprived of liberty in Venezuela for completely foreign causes (commission of terrible punishable acts), without legal or ethical basis”.
“Additionally taking into account that none of the detainees he mentions has Salvadoran citizenship, the majority of these being Venezuelan citizens,” he added.
He also said that Bukele’s proposal constitutes a “legal aberration, unprecedented in the context of bilateral or multilateral relations, which violates elementary principles of justice, proportionality and human dignity.”
The Venezuelan Administration again demanded the “immediate and unconditional” release of the 252 migrants deported by the United States to El Salvador for allegedly belonging to the criminal gang Tren de Aragua, born in a prison in the Caribbean country, and held the Salvadoran government responsible “for any affectation to their physical and psychological integrity.”
Likewise, he demanded that the Government of El Salvador give an “immediate, truthful and complete” response to a questionnaire sent by the Public Ministry (MP, Prosecutor’s Office), “which contains fundamental requirements for the ongoing investigation and for the guarantee of the rights of persons deprived of liberty.”
For Maduro’s Executive, this note constitutes “an express confession of serious violations of international human rights law, as well as the commission of acts that could be classified as international criminal actions,” among which he mentioned “collective criminalization and institutional xenophobia”, “denial of the right to defense, due process and access to justice”, in addition to “kidnapping and forced transfer to a third country without a judicial order or legal process.”
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
International
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.
Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”
International
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.
The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”
The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”
Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.
The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
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