In a complex prisoner swap, the United States has secured the release of 10 Americans and permanent U.S. residents held in Venezuela, exchanging them for 252 Venezuelan migrants who had been deported to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison earlier this year under President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

The Venezuelans were flown home Friday from El Salvador, where they had been detained in harsh conditions after being labeled “terrorists” and “violent criminals” by the Trump administration. Their deportation, carried out in March under the rarely invoked 1798 Alien Enemies Act, sparked legal battles over executive authority and due process rights.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the release, stating that “every wrongfully detained American” in Venezuela is now free. Among those released were Lucas Hunter, seized near the Venezuela-Colombia border, and Wilbert Castañeda Gomez, a former Navy SEAL accused of plotting to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro.

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele confirmed his country had returned all Venezuelan detainees. In parallel, Venezuela released an unspecified number of domestic political prisoners. The arrangement also involved the repatriation of seven Venezuelan children previously separated from their families during U.S. deportations.

The Trump administration justified the mass deportation by claiming the migrants belonged to the Tren de Aragua gang, designated a terrorist group by Washington. However, legal challenges argue that many were not criminals and were denied due process. Human rights groups had condemned their detention in CECOT, described as one of the region’s harshest prisons.

Negotiations leading to the swap were marked by competing efforts within the Trump administration and tensions over executive authority. The deal brings to a close one of the most controversial episodes of Trump’s second term, though litigation continues.