Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele proposed a prisoner swap with Venezuela on Sunday, offering to exchange 252 Venezuelan deportees from the U.S., currently imprisoned in El Salvador, for 252 political prisoners held by the Venezuelan government.

Bukele directed the proposal to President Nicolás Maduro, listing opposition figures, journalists, and activists detained during Venezuela’s electoral crackdown.

The offer follows criticism of El Salvador’s detention of deportees, including some accused of being gang members, and comes amid ongoing international scrutiny, NBC News has reported.

Bukele maintains the detainees are part of efforts against gangs, despite calls for his government to avoid turning the country into an international prison.

Written by B.C. Begley