By Alejandra Garcia on July 2, 2025
Paris fashion show makes bold political statement against El Salvador prisons.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused El Salvador of violating international law by detaining 252 Venezuelan migrants in coordination with U.S. immigration authorities. Speaking on Monday, Maduro described the incident as an act of “kidnapping,” claiming that the migrants have been held for 100 days in a maximum-security prison without trial or access to legal defense.
“They have had no rights as human beings,” Maduro declared. “They are kidnapped and disappeared by a prison system that violates all international laws and human rights guarantees to which El Salvador is a signatory.”
According to Venezuelan officials, the migrants—initially expelled from the United States for immigration-related reasons—were transferred to a severe high-security facility in El Salvador designed supposedly for terrorists and organized crime. To date, they have not been charged or brought before a court, prompting criticism from human rights organizations both nationally and internationally.
Maduro noted that his government has repatriated more than 6,500 Venezuelans previously detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and vowed to continue efforts to bring back citizens held abroad. “Every week we rescue two planes full of migrants,” he said.
The controversial detentions gained wider attention following a high-profile fashion show in Paris, where a designer staged a visual protest mimicking conditions inside Salvadoran detention centers. The performance, viewed by millions across the U.S., Europe, and Latin America, sparked a wave of online reactions and reignited global debate over migrant treatment and detention policies.
The Venezuelan government also raised alarm over the fate of 18 Venezuelan children reportedly separated from their parents by U.S. authorities. During a press conference, Jorge Rodríguez, President of the National Assembly and head of the Unified Campaign Command of the Bolivarian Revolution, demanded their immediate return.
“We are here to denounce and express our outrage,” Rodríguez said. “These children were taken from their families and placed in institutions far from their homes and loved ones. This is a form of barbarism rarely seen in modern history.”
Rodríguez announced that the Venezuelan government would activate all available diplomatic and multilateral mechanisms to recover the children, citing the recent successful repatriation of minors such as Maykelis Espinoza. He emphasized the moral and national obligation to act, regardless of political ideology.
“We must unite to bring these children home,” he stated. “Just as we recovered Maykelis, we will recover Mia Rodríguez Suárez and Milan Alejandro Salas Torres—children who committed no crime, yet face punishment and forced separation from their parents.”
Rodríguez further revealed that Caracas has maintained more frequent communication with officials from the Trump administration than with the current Biden administration regarding these cases. “We have always told them the same thing: return our children. Neither they nor their families committed any crime to deserve such harsh and inhumane treatment.”
As pressure mounts from human rights advocates and international observers, Venezuelan authorities continue to demand accountability for what they describe as politically motivated violations of basic human rights and international law.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – English